Bobby Meets His Match
by chloewren
Summary: Bobby is one of my favorite Merry men, so I figured he deserved his own story. He meets a woman who gives him a run for his money. Stephanie and Ranger are minor characters.
1. Chapter 1

Chance Meetings- Chapter 1

_You know how much I love my Merry Men, especially Bobby. So I figured he deserved his own story, , and a woman who could give him a run for his money( not Steph). Steph is a minor character in this one. Yes, I know, I am working on my other stories, but this one just popped into me head. Please let me know if you like it or not. _

Bobby Brown was hurrying into the courthouse. He'd been subpoenaed as a witness for the prosecution against one of Rangeman's former skips. Since Bobby and Cal had been the ones to apprehend the skip, Ranger had sent Bobby to testify in court. Bobby was huge, but looked fairly clean cut and military. The overly tattooed Cal was, well, not really a reputable looking witness. Bobby was rushing up the stairs , when he stopped and did a double take. On the bench at the top of the stairs, a petite redhead was sitting, holding a cellphone to her ear in one hand and rummaging madly through her oversized expensive looking purse with the other. Her eyes wandered from her purse and met his as he climbed the stairs, and he was startled by the deep green of her eyes.

Bobby walked over to the courtroom door and just stood where he could observe her. She seemed to be giving someone directions on what to do over the phone. Perhaps she was a businesswoman? The ivory suit that she wore would support that theory. The suit was v cut and just low enough that it emphasized the top swell of her breasts. They were not huge but proportional to her size, and a tiny pendant rested in the valley between her breasts. The cut of the suit came in at the waist to emphasize her curves. The skirt had ridden a bit up her thighs as she sat and that and the four inch black and white pumps she wore made her legs look a mile long and curvaceous. Her green eyes were huge and her mauve lipsticked mouth was expressive.

A clerk came outside the courtroom. " The proceedings for courtroom A will be delayed about 30 minutes. " Damn. Bobby hated waiting. But now it gave him a chance to check out this redhead. She was still rummaging in her purse, pulling things out and putting them on the bench and speaking animatedly on the phone. She seemed totally unaware of her surroundings, and maybe a bit disorganized. In fact, she kind of reminded him a bit of Steph. She was totally oblivious to her surroundings, too. Sometimes that annoyed him, but on this woman it was endearing.

The woman didn't even seem to notice the huge man in black approaching her, she was so busy talking and rummaging. She finally found what she had apparently been looking for, a small calendar/datebook. She jotted down a few things with a tiny pencil. Bobby debated with himself as he approached her. She looked really classy, and she was so small. He was over six feet and generally he wasn't attracted to petite woman. He liked taller women, women who he didn't have to worry about crushing when he had sex with them. This one looked like a cream puff- a delicious cream puff. He was definitely attracted to her, he felt his pants getting tighter. But she looked, well, too career womanish for him, not really his type. And possibly high maintenance. Still, he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

Bobby sat down on the tiny corner of the bench that was remaining after she had nearly emptied the contents of her purse. He looked down at the comb, hairspray, wallet, bubble gum, crumpled up dollar bill, Kleenex, lipstick ( Heather Shimmer) , compact, 2 printer ink cartridges, a small bottle of MAALOX chewables, and a huge set of keys on a Harley Davidson keyring. Bobby smiled to himself. She couldn't be much of a cream puff if she was into Harleys. Bobby noticed that her nails were short and she wore a small emerald on her right ring finger, but nothing on her left. She continued talking for another full minute before she noticed someone was sitting at the end of the bench. She sheepishly gathered up all her stuff and threw it back haphazardly into her purse.

She finally seemed to notice that there was a man sitting next to her. She paused for a moment in her conversation, and Bobby noticed her gorgeous green eyes widen as her gaze went from his knees to his huge biceps straining against his shirt, to his face. She made brief eye contact , then looked away. " Um, I have to go now," she said to whoever she was speaking to on the phone. A brief look of wariness crossed her face as she noticed the gun and weapons belt he wore, and she scooted over on the bench to five him more room. True, everyone had to go through metal detectors to get in the courthouse, but Rangeman had almost the same status as cops around here. They had to declare their weapons, but were allowed to keep them.

The woman finished her call and flipped the phone shut as she glanced warily at Bobby. She obviously was concerned to see a huge, well built man in black with enough weapons for an army sitting next to her. She slid over some more and Bobby's eyes flew to her skirt, which runched up higher on her thighs with the movement, making his pants even tighter. She put her phone away and sat , looking at him with a sidelong gaze.

" Mind if I sit here?" , Bobby asked. " I am a witness in courtroom A and the trial seems to be running a bit behind." " Oh, no, go ahead, " She said, smiling nervously at him. There was an awkward silence during which she gave him several sidelong glances. Finally, she turned to him. " Are you, some kind of cop or something?", she asked, obviously concerned about the black outfit and weapons.

Bobby smiled what he thought was his most reassuring smile. " No, I work in security and as a bodyguard." She smiled briefly, " Oh, " when her head turned her hair shimmered and Bobby wanted to run his fingers through it. Shit. What the fuck was wrong with him? This wasn't the type of woman he was usually attracted to. He liked woman who weren't afraid to get their hands dirty. But he found himself inexplicably fascinated by this woman.

The door to courtroom B opened and a clerk called out that court session was resuming. The woman stood up and Bobby was mesmerized by her legs. They looked a mile long in those heels. She gathered up her huge purse. ' Well, I have to go. I am a defense witness in Courtroom B." She started to turn to walk away , but Bobby didn't want her to go so quickly until he at least knew her name and … "Well, I'm Bobby Brown. She smiled and extended her hand. Bobby took it and shook it. " I'm Cathy Jorgens. Have a nice day," she said, extricating her hand from his. Bobby's eyes were glued to her ass swaying as she walked briskly towards courtroom B. " Dammit," Bobby thought. She was intriguing and he hadn't even gotten her number.


	2. Chapter 2

Bobby Meets His Match- Chapter 2

Please leave reviews as I live for them.

Chapter 2- We Meet Again

When Bobby got back to Rangeman, he went to an unused cubby and fired up the computer to do a search on Cathy Jorgens. Shit. There were five of them, with various different name spellings. How the hell was he supposed to know which one was her? Why did he even care , anyway? She was so far from his normal types- blonde, buxom , and brainless, or brunette and athletic, that he shouldn't even have given her a second look. It occurred to him that just because she looked incredibly hot in a suit and heels didn't mean she wasn't athletic. At the very least, she looked high maintenance. He should just forget about her. So why had he been thinking about her all afternoon?

Lester came up behind him and stole a peek at the computer screen. "Cathy Jorgens?" I don't remember any skips with that name." Then the light dawned and he got a stupid grin on his face.

" You are looking up a hot chick that you want to fuck," Lester said in an accusing voice. Lester knew this because he did it sometimes, too.

"If you want to fuck her, just do it, you don't need a background check." Bobby sighed. He knew if Lester found out about his reaction to the girl he'd take shit for it. Lester was a ladies man and could get any woman's number in a matter of moments if he wanted to. So could Bobby, usually. With his bulging muscles, handsome face and huge, er, gun, he had no trouble getting woman into bed. So why was he so hung up on this one?

" I have to do a search because all I have is her name. No phone number." He was almost too embarrassed to admit it…"I forgot to ask for her number."

Lester exploded into laughter. " You saw a hot chick that you wanted to fuck and you didn't get her number?" Lester looked at him as if he had grown a second head. " What the hell is wrong with you?'

Bobby looked sheepish. " Well, I was trying to decide if she was my type or not. I mean, she was in a business suit and these fucking mile high heels and she looked gorgeous, but disorganized and high maintenance. And before I finished deciding, she walked away."

Lester looked at Bobby incredulously. " Wait… you didn't just want to fuck this woman. If you were worried about her being high maintenance you must be thinking- long term." He said the last two words as if they were insults. " She must be some piece of ass if you are thinking of more than one night with her already.

Bobby was embarrassed because he'd never been in this position before. All he could think of to say was, "Fuck you , Santos."

Lester grinned madly as Bobby walked out to the control room., shouting, " And don't forget Ranger assigned you to help me with that class tonight." Lester's smile faded a bit.

Because it was a security company, Rangeman had contracts with local agencies to teach occasional basic self defense, gun safety, and first aid classes in the community. It was good money and it gave Rangeman the reputation of a civic-minded business and not just a company of guys who wore black and looked like thugs. Plus, it gave Rangeman a positive image among city leaders, and you never know when that can come in handy. Ranger had ordered Lester to help Bobby with the Rangeman sponsored first aid class at the Trenton community center. Lester really didn't mind helping. He'd gotten to meet a few hot chicks that way. Mostly, though it was soccer moms and older ladies.

Ranger and Steph were just coming in from doing survelliance and passed Bobby as he was walking out.

" Hey, boss, bombshell," Lester greeted them. Ordinarily he would have hugged Steph but with Ranger there he wouldn't dare.

Steph looked back at the doorway that Bobby had just exited from. " What's going on with you and Bobby. You are usually like Tweedledee and Tweedledum."

Lester grinned, "Well, Tweedledee is upset because he met a hot chick in court today and he really wants to…uh, " he looked at Steph and chose his words carefully " um, see her , but he didn't get her number. And I was reminding him that getting her number would be the first thing any self respecting heterosexual guy would do."

Steph shook her head, " At least you realize that you are Tweedledum. Geez, you guys, are such…guys"and she grinned and walked away. Lester and Ranger huddled together as if sharing some secret, then she heard Ranger say, 'put me down for $20."

Were they betting on Bobby getting laid? Men could be such pigs. But she was at least glad they weren't betting on her this time.

By the time Cathy got done in court it was after 5:00. Shit. She still had to swing by work and get some paperwork and then she had that damn class she had to attend tonight. She really was tired and didn't want to go to that stupid class, but she had to be certified for work, and who knew when the next class would be.

She walked across the parking garage thinking about the guy she'd met, Bobby Brown. She felt herself get tingly remembering how huge he was, how his biceps strained the seams on his black t-shirt, the huge gun in his belt, the bulge in the front of his pants indicated that he had another huge gun. He had the most beautiful dark eyes and huge hands and… Cathy shivered as she imagined his hands on her. She was between relationships, and lately she'd been so busy with her career that she hadn't really had much time for dating. She wiped the thought of the mysterious Bobby Brown out of her mind. She had stupidly not given him her phone number, so she would probably never see him again.

She got to her car, a five year old Honda Civic, brushed the papers and hair clips, and lint roller from the passenger seat and fished out her cell phone. She called her secretary to tell her not to lock up, that she would come back to the office. She kept a change of clothes in the office, which was good because she didn't wnat to go to the class in an ivory suit and four inch peep toe spectator pumps. Cathy looked down at her shoes. She didn't make a lot of money, or have a lot of luxury, but she indulged herself in shoes. She loved shoes. And she knew where to find the best looking, least expensive, but not always very comfortable shoes in town.

Monica, her secretary, was still there when she arrived. " Why haven't you left yet?," Cathy asked. Monica was usually out the door right at 5:00.

"I have to go to that class at the community center tonight. I thought you were going too." Monica knew she was going, it was Monica who kept track of her appointments for her. Cathy sighed, " Just let me change clothes. I don't think I have time to eat. I have a candy bar in the glove box." It was already 6:15 and they had to get across town. Cathy changed, grabbed her huge purse, and raced out the door.

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Lester finished putting out all the materials they would need to teach the class tonight. Well, actually, Bobby mostly taught. Lester just helped a little and mostly flirted with the women. The room at the community center was starting to fill up with the usual assortment of soccer moms, older couples, and teenagers. Lester liked looking at the hot teenagers, but resisted the urge to talk to the 'jailbait" even though they flirted boldly with him.

Bobby wasn't flirting, he was all business. He took these classes very seriously. That was one of the problems with Bobby. He took most things very seriously. Bobby taught a lot of these classes and he had a system. He had finished putting out the equipment and called everyone to sit at the tables. The tables were mostly full, with most people opting to sit in the back. Only the chairs at the front table and on the ends were open. Lester tried to ignore the cute teenager in the second row who was playing with her hair and flirting with him.

Bobby started the class in his booming voice, his eyes scanning the room and making eye contact with everyone. "Ok, we are going to become certified tonight. Please fill out the registration form. We..um… we need it…..so that… we, um, can, uh,…record your …certification." Lester noticed that Bobby suddenly seemed to be having trouble talking, stumbling over his words. What the fuck? Bobby was too young for a stroke. He followed Bobby's gaze to a petite redhead who had come through the doorway with another woman. Bobby 's gaze was fixed on them and he seemed to have forgotten how to talk. Lester smiled. Damn. This must be the mysterious Cathy Jorgens. Bobby looked completely dumbfounded, but Lester, being the good friend that he was, wouldn't let Bobby fuck up again.

Bobby had been in the middle of telling the class to fill out the registration forms, when every coherent thought suddenly left his head. He heard himself stagger and trip over his words like he was drunk, but he couldn't help it. He couldn't believe it. SHE had just come into the room. She had changed into black slacks and a green sweater that hugged her curves and she still had on those black and white heels with the little oval cut off the toe that made her legs look a mile long and made her hips sway when she walked. Bobby felt his pants getting tight and moved so that he was standing behind his portable file cabinet on the table so that no one could see his massive erection.

Bobby saw Lester look back and forth between him and Cathy, then get a moronic grin on his face. Lester was escorting Cathy and her friend to a chair at the table right in front of him. Front and center where he'd have to stare at her all night. Fuck Santos, that bastard. This was going to be a long class. She was sitting right in front of him and he could see how the green sweater brought out her eyes and that pendant was still there, dipping into the valley between her breasts, and…

"Don't forget to fill out your registration card with your address and phone number." Lester had noticed Bobby's sudden inability to say a coherent word and had taken up the reins. Cathy was trying not to look up at Bobby , and she was close enough that he could see her blush. Fuck. How the hell was he going to get through this damn class.

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As soon as Cathy had crossed through the doorway, she had to stop herself from turning around and running out again. Shit. She couldn't do this. It was HIM, Bobby Brown. She grabbed Monica's arm and was about to pull her out of the room, but then she remembered she needed this certification for work. And the next class wasn't for a long time. She couldn't take a class from HIM. He was way too fucking hot. He was dressed in khaki pants and a black polo shirt that was strained across the muscles in his chest and against his biceps. She wasn't wearing a gun this time, that she could see, but he didn't look like the type who would go anywhere unarmed.

There was another guy there who was also handsome and muscular, but not as much so as Bobby. The other guy herded Monica and Cathy in, gave them a registration form to fill out, and fuck, seated them at the table directly in front of Bobby. Not that there was really anyplace else for them to sit, since the room was full and they were a few minutes late. But shit, Cathy couldn't look at Bobby for the whole class. She could already feel her hands trembling and her panties were starting to get wet. . She looked cautiously up at him, met his beautiful brown eyes, then had to look away again. She could feel her heart racing. Shit. " What the hell am I going to do for an entire three hour class? ," she thought.

She filled out the registration form , which was hard because her hand was shaking. The other guy, who had said his name was Lester, took the registration form . She saw him highlight something on it with a yellow highlighter and put it on the top of Bobby's pile.

Bobby had managed to start the class by pointedly NOT looking at Cathy. He focused on the old lady in the back with the mole to try to keep the swelling in his pants down. He had forgotten a lot of the things he usually said during the class, and Lester had to do a lot more talking and teaching than usual. Bobby was spending most of his concentration trying to avoid looking at her. Bobby shook himself out of it.

Lester was saying, " Ok, we need to learn the Heimlich. Most things in this class we do on mannequins, but we will be using a partner for this. Not to actually do it, just to find the proper hand positioning. Bobby here will give us a demonstration of the proper hand positioning." Lester grabbed Cathy's arm and practically pulled her out of her chair. " This lady will be Bobby's partner."

Bobby gave Lester his, " I'm going to rip your nuts off and feed them to you " look. Cathy looked back and forth between Lester and Bobby, looking shocked. Lester just grinned like an idiot.

"Go ahead," Lester said, "demonstrate proper hand position for us."

Bobby looked back at Lester. That fucker. " I will kill him for this. How the hell could I even touch her without creaming myself?, Bobby htought.

Cathy slipped off her four inch heels and he was surprised how petite she really was. He reminded himself again of how much he disliked small woman. She stood in front of him, and he wrapped his arms around her abdomen, trying to touch her as little as possible. Still, her body was wedged up against him and the feel of her ass against him made his pants swell hugely. Fuck. He hoped she couldn't feel that. He wrapped his arms around her under the ribcage and he noticed how curvy she was , the feel of her boobs as they brushed against his arm. He could feel her trembling. Bobby couldn't breathe very well, so it was a good thing Lester was talking.

Cathy couldn't believe Lester had made her be partners with Bobby. She stood in front of him, and tried to keep space between them, but her body got pressed against his as his arms went around her abdomen. She could feel every inch of his hard body against hers and she could feel the wetness soaking through her panties. Shit. Bobby's huge arms came around her from behind and she practically orgasmed as they brushed against her breasts. She tried not to think of how hard and warm and powerful he felt. Shit.

Lester made them stay in that position as he explained things and he seemed to be taking forever. Shit. She was trembling and she knew Bobby could probably feel it. His huge hands came around her and linked gently on her abdomen. Fuck. It seemed like forever before Lester let them break the pose, and they both jerked away from each other as though they had been stung.

Bobby noticed that the remainder of the class, Lester did everything he could to throw Cathy and him together. They did everything they could to avoid each other. Bobby could feel his erection throbbing and spent the evening trying to hide it from everyone. He usually enjoyed teaching the class, but tonight it was torture. It was the longest three hours of his life. When the class was over, Cathy gathered up her things quickly and bolted out the door like the room was on fire.

Bobby cleaned up the equipment as the last of the stragglers left. He was so fucking pissed at Lester. After he had packed up the last of the equipment, Lester came over and handed him a paper. It was Cathy's registration slip, with her phone number circled , starred and highlighted, so Bobby couldn't possibly miss it. "Here," Lester said. " I practically got her into bed with you. " he paused, and smiled. "Now don't fuck it up again."

Bobby left the room, and Lester took a minute to study a paper he'd had folded in his pocket. It was the betting sheet. There were a lot of names and dollar amounts on the paper. Lester was going to win a LOT of money, if Bobby didn't fuck it up this time.


	3. Chapter 3

Bobby Meets His Match- Part 3

This chapter has a lot of exposition, but that is needed before we get to the juicy stuff. Please leave reviews, as I live for them.

Cathy hated traffic, especially hated traffic when it is dark and the only things you could see were the glowing taillights of the person ahead of you. Her night vision wasn't the best , either. She could see ok, it was just harder to judge distances at might. That made the traffic thing all the more stressful. Stop, go., stop, go, stop, go. It was so annoying and tried Cathy's patience. Hard to live in a city the size of Trenton, without experiencing traffic, though. You'd think she'd be used to it by now. But she got so damn bored and impatient in traffic.

Cathy rubbed her eyes and sighed. She was so tired and so far behind at work. She had a big presentation to give before the board in two days, and she had barely started it. There had just been so many other things that had interfered. Cathy was a social worker and there were always crises she had to deal with. She'd get called out on cases ,or to do an home visit, or parents or cops would need to talk to her right away, or she'd have to go to court to testify, like she did two days ago. Because she had so many interruptions during the day, she often wound up doing her paperwork in the evenings or on weekends. But last night she'd had a meeting until almost eight, then two evenings ago she'd had that first aid class.

Thinking of the class made her think of that luscious guy, Bobby Brown. Not that she hadn't thought about him a lot in the past two days, anyway. He was so hot. And mysterious. Cathy smiled and felt herself get wet when she thought of how impossibly sexy he had looked at the courthouse in that black uniform. When he'd shaken her hand she'd thought about how huge his hands were, and about how well they must fit around the huge gun that he carried. And then there was the first aid class. How she had ever made it through that class without drooling was amazing. And when he had used her for a partner in the demonstration and his arms had been around her, she had been pressed up against his hard body. She was practically orgasming from the memory of his arms around her.

But she was realistic. Bobby was a pipe dream. A guy like Bobby probably had women throwing themselves at him. Beautiful women. Beautiful , young, tall women with big breasts. He probably hadn't even noticed an attractive, but not gorgeous , short, redhead , with 34Bs. Besides, a guy like him was probably a player. Guys that attractive didn't usually want women for anything other than sex. She knew, since her last two relationships had been that way. Basically sexually based. Cathy was in her late thirties now, and she wanted more than just sex. She'd been on her own for a long time. Now she wanted a real relationship. And guys like Bobby usually didn't have 'real relationship" in their vocabularies.

Not that Cathy had time for a relationship. She had been working 60 hour weeks and her life in the past year, since she broke up with her last asshole boyfriend had been very routine. Get up, feed the cat , go to work, eat dinner, go to bed. Repeat. Guys like Bobby liked exciting woman. And lately Cathy didn't have the time to be exciting.

She had crept along, stop, go , stop, go, top speed of 15mph, only travelling about 5 miles in the last 15 minutes. Suddenly , fuck!, she remembered that most of the paperwork she needed to work on her presentation was still at the office. Damn. How could she have forgotten something that important? She was always so organized. But it was hard to be organized when you were juggling so much , and when your mind was occuied with fantiasies of a hot guy. Shit. She didn't have much choice. She had to work on the presentation tonight. And she couldn't do anything without that paperwork. She'd have to go back to the office.

Cathy had finally reached an exit. She had no choice but to get off the highway, and get on going back the way she had come. Shit. She was so hungry, too, but she didn't really have a choice. It took her almost 10 minutes just to get off the highway, and wait on the metered ramp to get back on the highway going back the opposite direction from home.

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Bobby sat in the garage at Rangeman, in the back of an SUV, inventorying the supplies in the medical kit that was mandatory equipment for each SUV. The supplies were inventoried regularly . They got depleted fairly quickly, because, well, Stephanie was kind of accident prone. Bobby had a huge paramedic kit with complex equipment, but each vehicle also had a mini-first aid kit with basic supplies. Several months ago, Steph had gotten hurt, and the medical kit in the SUV didn't have any more Tylenol. Ranger had been pissed, so now it was mandatory that the kits be inventoried regularly. Bobby didn't mind , anyway. It was always best to be prepared. It was dangerous to be in the field without the proper equipment, and that included medical supplies.

Besides, the monotonous routine of counting supplies, and checking them off on the checklist gave him time to think. For the last few days, he couldn't stop thinking about Cathy. He couldn't stop thinking about that damn class, where Lester had made her be his partner. Bobby's arms had been around her, under the softness of her breasts, her ass wedged against his dick. He didn't usually like short women, but she fit in his arms so perfectly. She was totally not his type. He liked the tall athletic type, or the tall, buxom type. Not the short, redheaded, curvy, sophisticated, relationship-wanting type.

He pulled the registration paper with her phone numbers highlighted on it from one of the pockets on his black cargoes. He had been carrying the damn paper with him for two days now, trying to work up the nerve to call her. He had never had a problem calling women before. Hell, he never usually had problems getting a woman before, but this one seemed different. She didn't even know that Bobby had her number. Lester had gotten it for him surreptitiously from the registration form the night of the class.

So, if he called her, she would wonder how he got her number. And she might think he was a stalker or something. Shit. Bobby was so distracted by his thoughts that he counted the supplies in the same kit four times. He put the last kit away and headed back to the control room. He didn't like feeling like this, unsure of himself. Bobby never felt unsure. He felt confident in every situation, from a gunfight to a bleeding artery, he never panicked, he always was confident. Even in combat, there had been times he'd been scared , but he always stayed calm, cool, and collected. But now he felt like a goddamn insecure teenager when it came to this woman, and it seriously pissed him off.

He got to the control room just as Lester was leaving for a surveillance shift. He thought about trying to avoid Lester, so he wouldn't get shit from him about calling Cathy, but Bobby Brown didn't hide from anyone. Lester had been pestering him constantly about calling her. He was pretty sure Lester had a pool going about when he'd get laid.

Lester saw Bobby on his way out the door with Junior. " Well, dude, did you call her yet?" He saw the look on Bobby's face, and an incredulous expression appeared on Lester's.

" You didn't call her? What the fuck, its been two days? What the hell are you waiting for? You got a hot chicks number and you are just staring at it like a moron? You got no balls all of a sudden?"

Lester was Bobby's partner and friend, but he could really be an ass.

" I was waiting. Isn't there like a three day waiting period rule or something? ", Bobby said, grasping for an explanation that would sound believable.

"What the fuck is wrong with you? You are acting like a chick. Just call her. Christ I can't believe what a pansy ass you are all of a sudden. "

Bobby couldn't think of a response to that, since Lester was right. " Fuck you," he said and plopped down at the monitors, glad Lester was leaving.

Bobby sat at the monitor screen and took out the paper once again. He stared at the paper. " What the fuck is wrong with you , just call her, asshole," he thought to himself. He took a deep breath, and started to get out his cellphone when one of the Rangeman security system accounts went off.

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Cathy had finally made it back to the building where she worked. It was almost eight o clock and pitch dark. The parking structure was almost deserted. Cathy grabbed her purse and hurried to the building entrance. Her feet were killing her. She still had on the forest green tailored skirt suit she had worn today. She didn't always wear a suit, but when she had client meetings, she liked to look extra- professional. The four inch, dark green peep-toe stiletto pumps matched her suit. They hurt like hell after so many hours, but they made her legs look great. She loved heels, and she had to wear them since she was so damn short. In four inch heels she was only 5'5. The loud clicking of her heels as she walked reverberated through the quiet garage.

The building was dark, apparently no one was working late tonight. Usually, she wasn't the only one here in the evenings. She used her key to open the door , but didn't hear the beep of the alarm. That was odd, but maybe they had left it off for when the janitor came to clean later in the evening. She would have to talk to someone about that. She made sure to lock the door again behind her. After all, this wasn't the greatest part of town. And they did get vandalized sometimes. It was the nature of their work that sometimes they dealt with the dregs of society. And sometimes people got pissed off at them, and vandalized the buildings.

It was a little creepy to be here alone at night, but she would only be there long enough to grab the files and leave. The building was completely quiet and dark except for the emergency "exit" lighting down the hallway. Cathy walked in the dim cast of the light until she got to her office. She flipped on her office light, but it was blindingly bright in the otherwise dark building. So, she turned on her desk lamp, and shut of the overhead light. The resulting light was bright enough to work in, but not blinding.

Her desk, usually so organized, was covered with piles of folders and papers she hadn't yet gotten to. There were several documents she needed for her presentation. Some of them weren't in the piles on her desk. Shit. She thought she knew where they were, but maybe not. This was obviously going to take longer than she thought, she was going to have to search for them.

The complete silence in the building was spooky. Every tiny sound, like the humming of the fridge in the breakroom, startled her. She wasn't used to total silence, and it was creeping her out. She fished out her IPOD shuffle from her purse and clipped it to her suit, the sounds of Green Day now loud in her ears. After she had spent some time going through the stack of papers now scattered over the desk and floor, she remembered that there might be a copy of the data report she needed in a binder on one of the bookshelves, above her head, She grabbed a chair to stand on and started searching the bookshelf, dropping the unneeded papers to the floor as she worked.

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Bobby and Ranger scrambled out of the SUV, responding to the silent alarm that had tripped at 210 Jefferson Ave. This was a crappy part of town and the building had been vandalized frequently . The owners had hired Rangeman to install sophisticated silent alarm systems. The door was locked, so they used their master. The alarm box was blinking silently, but furiously, indicating that someone was in the building.

It was completely dark and silent in the building. Ranger and Bobby split up to investigate the problem.

"Rangeman Security. Is anyone working here?" Bobby yelled, in case someone was just working late. No one replied.

"Rangeman security. Is someone here?", he called again. The building stayed silent. Bobby noticed a small light emanating from one of the offices. The door was nearly closed, only open a crack, and he could hear the sounds of papers or something being tossed around. Ranger and he drew their weapons and crept stealthily down the hall. As they got closer, the sound of papers and things being tossed around became louder, and no one replied to their calls. Obviously someone was trashing the office.

Bobby got to the door first, brushed it open with his body and charged into the room, his gun sweeping the room. As he burst into the room, there was a startled female scream. Bobby moved quickly , holstered his gun, and all but caught the redhead as she twisted to look, lost her balance and fell off the chair.


	4. Chapter 4

Bobby meets His Match- Chapter 4

Please leave reviews, as I live for them.

"AAAGGHHH!" Cathy screamed as the dark clothed, gun wielding men appeared in her peripheral vision. She tried to turn, but lost her balance, and toppled, dropping the binder that had been in her hand. The man in the lead seemed to have split second reflexes. He quickly put his gun away and reached out to try to break her fall, but she felt her ankle twist and she saw stars as the heavy binder hit her on the head. The lead man, What the hell? It was Bobby Brown, had his arm around her, breaking her fall.

It took a few seconds before Cathy realized what had happened, and how foolish she must look, IPOD earpods hanging down on her suit. . " What the hell are you doing? You can't just barge in here like that. She put a hand to her chest.. " Are you trying to give me a heart attack, sneaking up on me like that? ," she yelled at them. Her heart was racing so hard that she was pretty sure the guys could see it pounding in her chest. Cathy wasn't sure if her heart was pounding so hard from the scare, or from the thrill of being in Bobby's arms.

He steadied her and then carefully sat her in the chair. The second guy looked like he was fighting not to smile. He said, " ma'am, we are from Rangeman Security. You tripped the alarm. We DID announce ourselves." He seemed offended to have to explain himself. "Are you hurt?"

Now that the immediate scare was over, Cathy discovered that she was shaking, and her ankle really hurt. When she turned on the chair , she must have twisted it, and the ankle buckled in the four inch heels. Her head hurt a bit, too. But as far as she was concerned, the biggest injury was to her dignity. She was mortified that this amazing guy had caught her (literally) in such an embarrassing situation. But her ankle hurt like hell.

Bobby was squatting in front of her chair. "Cathy, right?", he said. She was thrilled that he had remembered her name. " Yes, Cathy", was all she could say, mesmerized by his dark eyes and calm velvety voice. "Cathy, it looks like you hurt your ankle. Can I take a look at it? I have medical training as you remember." At her assent, his strong hands propped her foot on his knee and gently and carefully he took off her shoe. "You are Bobby, right?", Cathy asked, as if she didn't know. Bobby smiled. God, he had the most gorgeous smile. "Yes, and the other guy with me is Ranger." As he spoke, his strong, gentle fingers were carefully rotating and probing her ankle. It was already starting to swell. Cathy noticed that Ranger had gone and returned a few minutes later with a medical kit.

She watched Bobby activate an instant icepack, apply it to her ankle, buffer it with towels, then wrap it with duct tape so that the ice pack would stay on without her holding it. She couldn't take her eyes off his hands. He worked so confidently and efficiently. "Well, I don't think its broken, but you will need to get X-rays to find out for sure. " He touched her head and she flinched. " you have a gooseegg, too. From getting hit on the head with that thing. Does it hurt?" Cathy shook her head no. The ice was numbing her ankle and she was so inebriated just looking at Bobby that nothing hurt. Bobby felt the lump and made her answer simple questions and looked at her eyes with a penlight.

Ranger had been looking around at the mess in the office curiously. "Why were you trashing this office?" Cathy looked up at him and grinned. The guy called Ranger was handsome, but not in the same way Bobby was. " Its my office. I am a social worker and I have to do a presentation. I was looking for the paperwork I need to do the presentation. And, well, I guess I couldn't find it." The corners of the man's mouth turned up in a slight grin, and he shook his head, possibly in amusement. No wonder. The office look like a tornado hit it.

'Thanks, Bobby, for fixing me up." Cathy took off her other shoe and tried to stand, quickly finding that her right foot would not hold its share of her weight. " Bobby reached out and steadied her, gently shoving her back into the chair, saying " You really should go to the ER and get the X-rays and get that goose egg checked out." Cathy didn't want to go to the ER, but the "protective alpha-male"vibe Bobby was giving off was so damn sexy. It was nice to have someone care about her, even a relatively total stranger. But she was already mortified about this meeting, and she didn't want the embarrassment prolonged.

"It feels better already. I don't think its broken. I 'll just go home and put ice on it, and elevate it. See, I WAS paying attention in class the other night." Bobby smiled at her indulgently and Cathy thought she might faint.

Ranger was looking back and forth between them, a questioning look on his face. "Did you two know each other before tonight?," he asked, suspecting he already knew. Bobby nodded. "I met Cathy a few days ago at court and then again at my first aid class." Ranger smiled. So THIS was the girl that had thrown Bobby for a loop. Ranger had money in Lester's "when will Bobby get banged" pool , and now he saw a way to hasten the process along.

" Cathy, you aren't going to be able to drive with that injured ankle. Plus, you might have a head injury. Why don't you let Bobby take you to the ER, and then home? She flinched at the thought of being in a car, then her apartment, with Bobby. Her apartment was a mess. There were probably books and papers scattered all over, since she'd been doing her paperwork at home. And when had she last changed the cat box? It was embarrassing to have this gorgeous man see her apartment.

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Bobby couldn't believe the luck, meeting her here like this. Ok, so maybe it wasn't the best thing for her. She had at least a sprained ankle after all. But it gave him the perfect opportunity to see her again, and he didn't even need to worry about calling her. Now it looked like Ranger was giving him the perfect opportunity to spend more time with her. Having her in his arms, touching her, even to examine her ankle, was driving him crazy. His fingers seemed so huge against her small ankle. It was all he could do to keep from running his hands up her sexy legs. His dick was hard as a rock. He could touch her soft, shapely legs and her breasts peeking up from the low cut green suit. He wanted to fuck her so badly.

"Stop it, Bobby," he told himself. Don't be a pig and try to take advantage of her getting hurt. Besides, he didn't just want to fuck this woman. He wanted to get to know her. And in his experience, women who wanted relationships never put out on the first date. She looked too classy for that.

She struggled to get up, and he put his arm around her to help her. " Ok, you can take me home if you like, but I have to get my paperwork first. I have to work on my presentation tonight." She started to hobble around the room, gathering the papers that she needed. She bent over to pick up a few that fell on the floor and almost fell over again. Her earbuds were still blaring Green Day's "American Idiot." So much for being the cream puff that Bobby had first thought.

Bobby couldn't believe the junk that was in her car. It wasn't slovenly, just cluttered with papers and things. He waited while she hobbled over and got all the stuff off the passenger side so she could get in. Bobby couldn't even get in the drivers side without adjusting the seat. She was so damn short. He had to remind himself again that he didn't like small women. Shit. The car had that same damn female smell that she did.

Cathy couldn't believe a guy like Bobby Brown was in her car. He was so huge that the car looked miniature in comparison. This was definitely a guy who drove a truck, or maybe a tank. She couldn't believe that Bobby Brown was in her car, taking her home. He quickly and efficiently started the car and backed out. She couldn't stop staring at his hands. It was amazing how he made even the simple act of driving a car seem sexy. He didn't say anything and for the first few minutes the car was filled with awkward silence. She kept giving him sidelong glances, wanting to look at him without him noticing.

She smiled nervously. " Your job must be very interesting, going into buildings with guns drawn."

"It can be," he said. Wow. He was quite the talker, wasn't he, she thought. I guess he's the strong, silent type.

" I guess I should learn the alarm code before I go into the building at night or weekends again."

Bobby inwardly grimaced. She shouldn't be in that building alone at night. Not in that part of town. Didn't she realize that? And what the hell was she doing standing on a chair in 4 inch heels.

" You shouldn't go to the building alone after hours. It isn't safe. And you should use a ladder next time instead of standing on a chair. Its not safe to stand on a chair."

Besides, he had a great visual of her up a ladder with that skirt on, his mind travelling up her legs to her panties. His hands tightened on the steering wheel. Ok, he couldn't think of her in panties right now. He was trying to figure out how the hell he was going to handle it when he got to her house. He wanted to go in and have sex with her, but she was injured. He would be a pig to take advantage of that. Besides, this woman was so classy. She was definitely not the "quickie one night stand" type. She would never have sex with him on the first date. And really, this didn't actually count as a date.

Cathy didn't ask how he knew her address without asking. That should have made her wary, but it just made him more mysterious and sexy to her. He helped her out of the car and she leaned on him as she hobbled towards her apartment. She probably could have made it by herself, but she wanted to feel his hard muscles against her. Luckily, she lived on the first floor and wouldn't have to contend with stairs.

Bobby immediately noticed her apartment wasn't great for a single woman living alone. Granted, she lived in a quiet middle class suburb of Trenton with a very low crime rate, but shit, crime happened everywhere. He watched her open her pathetic locks that just about anyone the slightest bit streetwise could open without a problem. As soon as the key hit the lock, they were greeted by a loud "mreeeow," and a medium sized gray and white cat came running to greet her.

Bobby noticed the large sliding glass door with crappy locks. She did have a piece of wood jammed into the frame so that it couldn't be pulled open. " You should get better locks on this place. Anyone could get in here pretty easily if they wanted to."

Oh, right, Cathy thought. He works for a security company. She sat down on the couch, putting her foot on the coffee table. Bobby crouched down and inspected it again. The swelling had mostly stopped. He went to her freezer for another ice pack. Great. She didn't have an ice pack. He brought a bag of frozen peas and wrapped them up the same as he had the ice pack. He touched her head. The throbbing seemed to lessen at his touch. " I still think you should go to the ER and have this checked out. You could have a head injury." He looked into her eyes again, then let go of her chin , apparently satisfied that the injury wasn't serious. He got some Tylenol form her bathroom and brought it to her with a glass of water.

Bobby noted that her apartment was basic, but comfortable. She wouldn't be winning any neatness awards. There were dishes in the sink and papers scattered all over the coffee table , table , and desk. When he'd gotten the Tylenol from her bathroom, he'd noticed stuff, all sorts of stuff, everywhere on the counter and side of the tub. It kind of reminded him of Stephanie, only Cathy was cuter.

There was no other excuse to stay, so Bobby got ready to leave. He handed her a Rangeman card with his cell # on the back of it. " Here's my card. If you start feeling dizzy or headaches or you decide you need to go to the ER later, just call me." She smiled, making Bobby get hard as a rock. Ok, asshole, this is it. Last chance, he thought.

He crouched down next to her. " Um, it looks like you will be busy working on this presentation until Friday. Would you like to go to dinner on Saturday night? " Cathy almost stopped breathing. Bobby had asked her out. In what alternate reality did something like that happen? He probably wanted to make it up to her for scaring her. "Um, sure. I' d love to, " she said.

Bobby smiled that gorgeous, heart stopping smile. " Ok, I'll call you. He stood up, not really wanting to leave. " Well, um, are you sure you'll be ok?" he asked. "Sure, I will work on my presentation for awhile and then go to bed." Bobby tried not to think about her in bed. Shit. " Well, um, I am going to go. Someone is probably here to take me back to Rangeman. Have a good night."

Shit. Why the fuck did it have to be Lester who picked him up. Goddamn. As soon as he opened the SUV, Lester started in on him. Lester sniffed Bobby. " What the hell are you doing?", Bobby asked.

" I don't smell sex," Lester was disappointed.

"Of course you don't smell sex. There wasn't any sex. She hurt her ankle and I brought her home."

Lester looked at him incredulously. " Ranger gave you the perfect opportunity to take her home and get her into bed, and you didn't do it? What the fuck is the matter with you?" Lester slapped him on the head.

"Ow. She was hurt and I wasn't going to be a pig and take advantage of that. Besides, she isn't the type to put out the first time she's alone with a guy. She's classy. Not that you'd know anything about classy women, dickhead." Lester was really pissing Bobby off now.

They bickered about it all the way back to Rangeman. Ranger and Steph were in the control room. Lester was ranting to everyone about how Bobby blew the perfect chance to have sex with Cathy.

Bobby went to his cubicle and sat down. He was still a bit stunned by the encounter with Cathy. Steph came up to him and kissed him on the cheek. " You are a sweet guy, Bobby Brown. I am glad you didn't use the opportunity to have sex with her. It shows her what a nice guy you are."

Bobby looked at the paper with Cathy's name on it. Fuck "nice guy". He couldn't wait for Saturday night.


	5. Chapter 5

Bobby Meets His Match-Chapter 5

_Bobby finally has his date with Cathy. Lots of talk in this part. Next part has the sexy stuff. Please leave reviews, as I live for them._

Cathy's head ached in addition to her foot throbbing. This day sucked. It was only 10:00 am and she had already had to deal with an angry parent and an urgent phone call from her boss. She had been up late last night working on her presentation that was due tomorrow, but it wasn't finished. Not to mention her office still looked like a tornado hit it. She sat down on the floor and tried to put some order to the office. She hobbled around, putting books and binders back on shelves.

The phone rang at about 10:30. She wasn't going to answer it, because she was so busy. But since the number said restricted, she wasn't sure if it was a parent or another agency. IT took a lot of effort to push herself off the floor and grab the phone.

"Cathy Jurgens," She answered it, a bit distracted and out of breath.

" Hi, Cathy, its Bobby." That beautiful male voice filled the line.

Oh, God, Bobby! Her heart started racing just at the sound of his voice.

"Is everything ok? You sound out of breath?"

Damn, if only he knew.

"I'm good, thanks, I just rushed to get the phone."

" I just wanted to call and see how your ankle and head are after last night," said the deep voice that made her heart race.

How sweet is that? Bobby was so protective.

" Um, they are fine. My ankle is still really swollen, but I've been icing it. My head doesn't even hurt anymore."

She heard his soft voice chuckling. " Does your office still look like a war zone?"

" Yes, but I've been hobbling around picking things up."

"You should stay off that ankle and keep it elevated as much as possible. I'll massage it for you on Saturday."

Oh, shit. Now her panties are wet at the thought of Bobby touching her feet.

"Are we still good for Saturday?"

"Absolutely."

"I'll pick you up at six. Wear dressy casual.."

As soon as Cathy hung up the phone, she started to panic. She hadn't even had a date in forever, and she'd NEVER had one with a guy as hot as Bobby. What the heck would she wear? What would she talk about? An interesting guy like Bobby probably wouldn't be interested in someone as ordinary as she was. Plus, she had issues. And few guys want to deal with a woman's baggage, even though they usually have plenty of baggage of their own.

This was why she hated dating. All her experiences with men had been bad ones. Usually they walked out on her, or were emotionally unavailable, or players. She hadn't had much traffic from the kinds of guys she wanted to date. Bobby seemed too good to be true. Guys like that never hung out with women like her.

She sighed. At least she would get a nice dinner and conversation with a hot guy.

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Lester grinned like an idiot as he came out of the bonds office. He had heard Bobby on the phone with Cathy.

"Dude, you called her to see how her foot was? Next thing you know you'll be sending her flowers and shit. Just fuck her already, would you?"

" I was worried about her. I wanted to make sure her ankle was ok," Bobby said. Why the fuck was he explaining himself to Lester?

" Worried about her? Rangemen don't worry. You are starting to sound like a damn woman," Lester taunted, as he put the SUV in gear and headed out after their latest skip.

Bobby was getting pretty pissed off. Lester wouldn't have any idea how to treat a real woman. He never really "went out" with woman, just had sex with them. So he had no right to ridicule Bobby for liking a classy woman.

Bobby couldn't think of a good response to Lester's accusation. He WAS thinking and worrying a lot about Cathy. But that didn't make him a woman, it made him a sweet tough guy.

"Fuck you, Santos" was all he could think of to say.

He wasn't about to admit that he had almost come into work late today so he could help her clean up her office, so she wouldn't have to hobble around picking things up.

They were tracking "Slick Willie" A repeat offender who , by some weird twist of fate, kept getting bailed out of jail despite numerous felony arrests.

Bobby couldn't keep his mind off of Cathy. He never had a problem getting woman or sex. But he'd never met a woman like her before. He didn't want her to think that he just wanted sex. He couldn't believe how much he wanted her to like him. All of him. Bobby never usually made himself "emotionally available"to women.

He never really let a woman get to know him. What if Cathy got to know him and didn't like him, other than for sex? He had issues, hell everyone did, but , well, three tours of duty in a war zone had left him with emotional scars. What woman would want to deal with that?

"Pay the fuck attention, Romeo, " Lester yelled, as Slick went running straight past Bobby, weapon drawn.

Shit. It wasn't like Bobby to get distracted from his job by thoughts of a woman. He went racing after Lester to catch Slick. Lester would never let him live it down that he had let a skip get by because he was daydreaming about a woman.

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Cathy ran her fingers over the deep green silk shirt and black pants she wore. Paired with a set of 3 ½ inch heels, and she didn't think she looked bad at all. Of course, she wouldn't be able to walk far in the heels with her ankle swollen like that, but they would be sitting and eating, not walking. Bobby was so huge, she would look ridiculously short next to him if she didn't wear heels.

She had just put the finishing touches on her makeup when the doorbell rang. "Oh, God," that's him, she thought. She spent another moment fussing with her hair, then went to answer the door.

She opened the door and instantly felt lightheaded. Oh, God, Bobby looked so amazing. He looked great in his work "uniform", but now he looked even better. He was wearing black pants and a dark blue shirt that seemed to strain over his muscles. It set off his black hair and made his chocolate brown eyes sparkle. He smiled and Cathy was pretty sure she would faint.

"Hi," he said, with that killer smile. His eyes roamed over Cathy's outfit and seemed to simmer with desire. "You look beautiful. I brought you a present," he said, holding out a small brown bag.

Bobby felt stupid standing in her apartment holding out a brown bag. She looked so gorgeous, so fucking sexy. Those slacks just molded to her ass and the sweater fit her curves beautifully. He swallowed and thrust the bag at her. " I got you a little present." How the fuck was he going to make it all the way through dinner without jumping her. Hell, he couldn't even jump her after dinner. Classy woman never put out on the first date.

The quizzical look in her eyes was charming. She reached in the bag and pulled out a giant deadbolt lock. He saw the confusion on her face, then she smiled. " Oh, because you said my locks are so crappy. That's so sweet. Thank- you."

Well, he did work for a security company, so it makes sense he would notice the locks, Cathy thought. It was a sweet, personal gift. Any guy could bring candy, protective Bobby brought a lock.

Of course, Bobby drove a truck. A big, huge one. He held the door for her, oh my God. He had manners. The truck was so huge that he had to boost Cathy up onto the seat.

Bobby guided her into the restaurant with his hand on the small of her back. Damn, it was all he could do to keep his touch light on her soft skin. He wanted to grab her and kiss her senseless. She was so small that he only had to look down to have a perfect view of the swell of her breasts. He sat down quickly to hide his enormous hard-on.

Bobby ordered a bottle of wine. Neither of them ate much of their entrees because they were so busy staring at each other.

" One brother, two sisters," he answered in response to her question about his family.

"Are you the oldest?"

" Middle child," he said. Damn. Cathy thought. He is a man of few words, the strong silent type.

" So how do you like working at …Rangeman, it it?"

"It is an interesting job. I enjoy it." Wow. Two whole sentences together. It didn't seem like Bobby was being deliberately cryptic, he just was to the point and succinct.

" You were in the war in Iraq?"

" Navy SEAL," he said. "

" You must have seen some terrible things over there."

Bobby winced inwardly. This was his sore spot. He didn't like to talk about what had happened over there. He never had, to anyone. "Most of it is classified. I don't like to talk about it."

Cathy touched his hand and, and he almost flinched away. Damn. He couldn't think when she touched him. His dick was so hard he was going to explode.

" How did you learn so much about medicine?" She asked.

" Well, I figured as a SEAL, I knew a lot of ways to kill. I wanted to learn how to heal , too. I wound up being the unit medic in combat, then a paramedic."

Cathy was amazed. Bobby was so interesting. He lived such a cool life. She was afraid that he would start asking her questions, and then he'd be bored by the answers.

Bobby took her hand, and then she found out that he wasn't always cryptic. He asked her about her family. His huge thumb was tracing gentle circles on the back of her hand. All she could think about was how warm and…

" Cathy?" he smiled. " You do have a family, right?

" Um, yes, I have a brother and two parents. My brother is younger. They both live in the Midwest. I have a cat. See, that is called answering a question," she said coyly, smiling at him. He smiled back and he kept stroking the back of her hand. All she could think about was his fingers on her breasts and …

Bobby must have read her mind, because he was suddenly as anxious to leave as she was. He paid cash for the meal and left a large tip, Cathy noticed. He helped her up and guided her out with his hand on the small of her back again.

"stopit, stopit, stopit," Bobby urged himself. " stop thinking about running your hands over her breasts and holding that ass in your hands. Classy woman don't have sex on the first date."

Cathy watched Bobby's hands as he drove back to her place. He had become even more cryptic since they left the restaurant. She watched his large, powerful hands guide the huge vehicle effortlessly. She licked her lips and saw him flinch. Those hands were so large and strong and warm. She wanted, had to have his hands on her. She tried to stop thinking about sex. She didn't want Bobby to think she was a skank or a slut. Just watching him made her shirt of breath.

When they got back to her apartment, Bobby lifted her out of the truck, and he had to force himself to take his hands off her once she was on the ground.

"Why don't you come in," she said, not wanting to let him go. He took the keys from her and unlocked the door, entering the apartment first. Total alpha male. Her bad ankle hurt and was so swollen she almost couldn't get the strap of her heels off.

Bobby was going crazy. She had invited him in, but he had to keep his hands off of her. She was a classy woman, not a slut. She wouldn't want sex on the first date.

The lock he had brought her was lying on the table, and Bobby grabbed it like it was his savior. "Ok, dammit, put your hands on the lock instead of her, he thought.

"Do you have any tools?" he asked.

She hobbled over and brought out a miniscule tool box- pink no less. Now that was a travesty- a fucking pink toolbox. He went to his truck and got his real tools.

As Bobby installed the lock, he watched her putting ice on her foot. Damn, when she leaned over, he could see all the way down her breasts and –shit, suddenly he couldn't even screw right. Screw- don't say " screwing", he chided himself. Locks were not what he wanted to be screwing.

Bobby finished with the lock and watched Cathy ice her foot with frozen peas. Shit. He should have gotten her an icepack. " Why don't you lie down and elevate that?, " he suggested. She laid down on the couch and he put pillows under her foot.

Bobby HAD to touch her. " Let me massage it. Massage helps stimulate the bloodflow and speeds healing.

Bobby carefully took her small foot in his hands. Shit. Her skin was so soft, and the red of her toenails was a serious turnon. He reminded himself of why he didn't like small women , as he carefully rubbed her foot. The warmth of her skin set him on fire as he tried to keep his touch clinical.

Cathy watched Bobby's large, strong hands, gently massaging her foot. His deep brown eyes watched her face as his fingers stroked her . She couldn't breathe when he touched her like that. Damn. She wanted him to touch her like that everywhere. Shit. Would he think she was easy or a slut if she let him on the first date? Did she care anymore?

Bobby finished rubbing her swollen foot, then forced himself to put it back on the pillow.

"well, I should probably…", he said, turning towards the door.

Cathy interrupted him by grabbing his hand, and holding it in hers.

" You know," she said. " I have a couple of other parts that need to have better blood flow."

She put his hand on her breast, and he could feel her heat and softness through her sweater. The next thing Bobby knew, his mouth was attached to hers and he was kissing her senseless, his hand gently squeezing her breast.

Lester was going to win that damn pool.


	6. Chapter 6

Bobby Meets Has Match- Chapter 6

This chapter has an "X" rating for smut. I don't write smut that well, but you'll get the point.

Please leave reviews, as I live for them.

Bobby felt his hand gently slip under Cathy's sweater and bra to the heat of her soft, bare skin. His huge hands closed softly around her warm soft breast, gently rubbing, cupping it in his hand, gently squeezing. He couldn't believe how good her breasts felt in his hand. He had always preferred big breasted women, but Cathy's breasts were just the right size to fill his hands. And he was sure they would fit perfectly in his mouth.

She moaned softly as his huge warm hand caressed her bare breast, his calloused hand against the soft, smooth skin. He took her moan in his mouth as his tongue delved deeply and toyed with hers. He was leaning over her, pinning her to the back cushion of the sofa with his nearness. He felt his biceps straining as he held most of his weight off of her.

Her tongue felt incredible dueling with his. She had one hand caressing his neck and the other was unbuttoning his shirt. When her fingers grazed his bare chest, he damn near stopped breathing. Her fingers were so cool against his burning heat. His dick was straining against his pants, hard as a rock, eager to be set free.

Those little quivers and moans she was making were fucking setting him on fire. He could feel her heart racing under the hand that was caressing her breast. The moans were driving him crazy, and some small part of his mind reminded him that he was supposed to be "not a pig." He pulled her sweater over her shoulders and shrugged out of his shirt.

Cathy stroked lightly down his chest and rock hard abdomen, making him shiver. He had just freed her other breast when she whispered "take me to bed." He grabbed her tightly , and stood up. She wrapped her legs around him. He walked towards the bedroom, pressing her tightly to him. His mouth fastened on her breast and he sucked her hard, as he carried her into the bedroom. He dropped her on the bed, then followed her closely, licking and sucking her breast. Her back arched high to get more of her breast into his mouth. He grabbed her back and held her tightly to him, his face now squashed in her breasts. The thought occurred that damn, suffocating on a woman's breasts would be a damn good way to go.

She was moaning and thrashing under his mouth, close to orgasm already. Damn. She was sensitive. He sucked harder and faster and she writhed in his arms, screaming as she came apart in his arms. Bobby could feel her wetness against his leg, and his dick was so fucking hard it was ready to burst.

Bobby fought the urge to throw her onto the bed and pound into her. Dammit, he was going to be a considerate lover tonight if it killed him. And it just might. She was gasping, "Oh, God , Bobby…" he stifled her with his mouth and his finger plunged into her wetness. Damn. She had had a Brazilian. The smoothness so fucking turned him on. She was trying to pull him up to kiss him, but instead her hands were caressing his head, licking his earlobes.

He gently licked and sucked one breast while his fingers worked their magic on her clit. He loved to listen to the noises she made during sex. She was gasping and sighing and a couple of times she squealed. He loved being in control of her body. He would take her right to the brink with his fingers, then back off and let her down, then back up again. He smirked when he heard, through her gasping breathes, "Bobby, please…" He chuckled. He love to make a woman beg.

"Please what?", he chuckled.

She reached down and he let her put his hand back where she wanted it. "Please don't stop." He decided to oblige, and his fingers worked her clit until she started writhing furiously in his arms.

Cathy writhed under Bobby's huge fingers. The dual sensations of his mouth on her breasts, and his fingers on her clit made such an intense orgasm, she might possibly have momentarily blacked out. She couldn't breathe, as Bobby replaced his fingers with his tongue. Oh, fuck, he was going to orgasm her to death.

Bobby replaced his fingers with his mouth. He wanted to get inside her and pound the fuck into her, but he wanted to make her come again first. His tongue flicked and he gently sucked her already sensitive clit. It was just a minute or so before she started gasping and her hips bucked wildly against his mouth. Her fingers were digging deep gouges in his back.

He licked her clit until that orgasm had subsided, then started to ease himself… oh, fuck. The one tiny part of his mind that was still capable of rational thought remembered that he didn't have a condom. He hadn't brought one, so that he would have to force himself to be a gentleman and not have sex tonight. So much for sex. He was trying to force his dick out when Cathy waved a foil package in front of him. Thank God.

She was so small and he was a very huge man in all areas, including his dick. He didn't usually fuck small women, and he was afraid she wouldn't be able to take all of him. He rolled over, and pulled her on top of him, then gently lifted her and put her on his dick. He shouted out and thought he'd die from the sensation of his dick sliding up her. She was so fucking tight and wet. He pulled her about halfway down his dick, then stopped, letting her take over. He thought his head might explode as she quickly sat and took all of him into her. She started thrusting up and down, her boobs bouncing. It was fucking amazing, but too slow. Bobby put his huge hands on her waist and bounced her up and down , fast and hard on him. He rolled them over so he was on top, and thrust hard into her, all the way. His arm muscles strained from the effort of holding himself off of her as he thrust. He tried to prolong it, but her last squeeze took him over the edge and they both yelled as he thrust hard and came inside her, his arms releasing as he collapsed onto her.

For a few minutes, they just lay there, panting from the amazing sex. Bobby's huge warm body was pressed to hers and Cathy could feel his heart racing on top of hers. Her mind wasn't really working very well, she seemed to be just floating. Bobby had literally fucked her senseless.

He must have finally realized that the was squashing her, because he rolled over and brought her on top of him. Neither of them said anything, they just lay there, her body pressed tightly against his, her head on his shoulder, his fingers gently stroking her hair. She kissed him gently and tasted herself. Cathy wasn't exactly sure, but she remembered at least four orgasms. She lay there, reveling in the afterglow in Bobby's arms, felt his heart slow under her head as she drifted off into a contented sleep.

* * *

Cathy awoke slightly, and stretched, reaching out to caress the warm man next to her. Her arms reached out, but there was no warm man. She opened her eyes, and saw that Bobby's side of the bed was empty. She buried her face in the pillow and it smelled like him. She glanced over to the bathroom door. It was open and the apartment was completely quiet. No biggie, he was a SEAL, used to being quiet. She got up and put on her robe to find the rest of the apartment empty as well. The smell of coffee drew her to the kitchen. Bobby had made coffee for her, and next to the coffee pot was a brown bag containing one huge breakfast burrito from the little place down the street. One of the Rangeman business cards was propped against the coffee pot, the back covered with bold scrawl.

_Cathy,_

_I had a wonderful time last night. You are so beautiful and amazing. Enjoy breakfast. I'll call you later._

_Bobby_

Cathy fingered the card for a minute, then hunger overcame her and she delved into the burrito. She sat at the table and wondered about Bobby. I mean, maybe it was her, but she expected him to be there in the morning. Otherwise, it was just a cheap sex thing , right? But Bobby had been all about her last night. He had been so amazing and considerate. Why leave before morning? She noted that he had even managed to lock the new deadbolt. Now how the hell had he done that from the outside? She knew he didn't have a key. He'd given her both of them.

She fingered the note again. Getting her breakfast was sweet. But why leave? If he had to go to work or something, why not wake her up and say goodbye first? She had enjoyed last night, and Bobby seemed to genuinely like her as much as she liked him, so why sneak out in the middle of the night like you are ashamed or something.

Cathy still felt the tingling in her body from the intense Bobby-induced orgasms of the night before. He had been so sweet and considerate. She would not get pissed at him for now. Maybe he had a good reason. Lets see if he really did call her. THAT would be the true test of weather he cared for her or not.

* * *

Lester was actually bandaging up a small gash on Bobby's arm. That was a switch. Lester was usually the one getting gashed, and Bobby was always so careful. Bobby had broken a window to get inside of a skip's house, and had not cleared the pane of the glass pieces before he climbed through, leaving gashes on his arm and side.

Lester finished cleaning the gashes. "Are you fucking stupid all of a sudden? That was a rookie mistake. Even a 10 year old knows that."

Bobby knew it was a stupid, rookie mistake that even a 10 year old wouldn't have made. He didn't need reminding. He couldn't concentrate on the simplest things today.

" I know. I just can't fucking concentrate."

Lester looked surprised. " Didn't you see Cathy last night? What's the matter? Didn't you get laid?"

Bobby did not want to be telling Lester about his sex life.

"That isn't it."

"So you DID get laid!" , Lester yelled triumphantly. He stopped in the middle of bandaging Bobby's arm and whipped out a paper. Damn! HE had chosen last night as the night Bobby would bang Cathy in the poll.

"Shit, Bobby. You and your cock have made me a lot of money."

Bobby ripped the page out of his hands. " Shut up, asshole."

Lester came and finished bandaging Bobby. " So, I understand you being all unfocused and shit if you were horny. But if you DID get laid, then what the hell is your problem?"

Bobby looked at Lester. They were friends, and he knew Lester loved him like a brother, but Lester could usually be an ass. Bobby usually confided in Lester about a lot of things. But when it came to sex and women, Lester never knew when to be discreet or when to quit. Bobby sure as hell didn't want to confide in him- not about this. But even Lester knew when enough was enough, and Bobby was seriously distracted by whatever it was.

Lester sat next to Bobby on the curb and put his arm around his shoulders in a ' male bonding" fashion.

"What couldn't you get it up or something? Does she suck in bed? What?'

Bobby wanted to smack Lester. His dick was almost half again the size of Lester's , so who was telling who about getting it up.

" Well, I didn't want to have sex with her last night in the first place, because I really like her and I don't want just sex. I want a relationship."

Lester snorted at that, then waited for Bobby to go on.

" But she was so fucking hot and I just couldn't keep my hands off of her. And she was all over me. It was earth shattering sex."

Lester looked puzzled. To him, the earth shattering sex was all that mattered."Then, what the fuck is the problem?"

" I stayed for awhile until she fell asleep, then I left in the middle of the night.."

'So what's the problem. I do that all the time."

"Yeah, YOU do that. With your woman of the hour that you only want to fuck. I want more than that from Cathy. But now she is going to think I am an ass for not staying the night. She'll think all I want is sex."

"So why didn't you spend the night , then?" Lester almost shuddered as he said the words "Spend the night."

Bobby gave Lester a hard look. " you know why."

Lester knew why. He had the same problem , too. A LOT more than he cared to. He knew Bobby had problems with it. Not that they had ever discussed it in depth. In fact, to his knowledge neither of them had discussed the issue with anyone EVER. It wasn't something soldiers liked to discuss, even with friends.

"So now you are worried that she'll think you are a pig who just wants sex because you didn't stay the night."

Lester would have made a joke, but he could see that Bobby was really upset about it. He really wanted Cathy to like him.

" I left a note, though. And I brought her breakfast. I didn't just disappear without a trace. So I'm not a total pig." Bobby was trying to make himself feel better.

" How do you know its going to be a problem?, " Lester asked.

"Because its always a problem in that situation. More than I'd like it to be."

Lester knew it was pointless, but he had to ask. " Have you seen anyone about it?"

'Fuck no. ," Bobby cried. "Its not exactly something I want to talk about."

""Its nothing to be ashamed of either," Lester argued. Except that to guys like he and Bobby, any weakness was shameful. Even weakness that wasn't their fault.

" Look, just call her today. Tell her you had a great time, but you needed to leave to get to work. How will she know you had a couple of hours in there that you could have spent snuggling with her?"

Bobby didn't want to lie to her. He liked her too much.

"And invite her to your place next time. "

"It can still be a problem there, except it isn't as bad., usually."

Lester gathered up the first aid kit supplies.

"And Ranger will kick your ass when he finds out you made such an asinine mistake." Lester grinned, back to joking now that the serious moments were over.

They drove back to Rangeman each in their customary Rangeman 'zones".

As soon as they got back to the office, Bobby found some privacy to call Cathy.

Lester pulled out his poll sheet and went around the office to all the guys, collecting the money he'd won.


	7. Chapter 7

Bobby Meets His Match-Chapter 7

Please leave reviews, as I live for them.

" _Hey, Cathy, its Bobby. I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed last night. Sorry I couldn't stay- I had to get to work. Hope you enjoyed the burrito. I'll call you later."_

Bobby finished his third phone call that he'd made to Cathy today, but the only one in which he'd left a message. The first two times he'd choked up like a damn teenager and hung up when he'd gotten her machine. After the second call, he found himself acting like a chick and planning what he was going to say, like a script.

Shit, he thought. I am so far gone already and I barely know this girl. All he knew was that the sex was amazing. He wanted more. He knew she would probably be mad that he had left. That was why he'd brought the burrito for breakfast. And he did leave a note, so he wasn't a total pig.

He had never really had this issue come up before, since he usually didn't spend the night with a woman. But Cathy was different. He wanted her to be more than just physical. That meant he HAD to spend the night. But he didn't want to scare her away.

Bobby looked up from his report, startled to see Steph standing by his desk. She smiled at him.

" Hey, Bobby. What happened to you? Did you lose awareness of your surroundings?, she teased. He laughed and said, "It happens to the best of us."

"Ranger is busy in a meeting, so he said to take one of the guys when I go get lunch. I pick you." She was really curious to find out how it was going with his new girlfriend and hoped she could pry it out of him.

They sat down in a booth at Pino's, Bobby with his back to the wall, so he could see most of the restaurant over Steph's shoulder. They ordered, and apparently Bobby didn't follow Ranger's "eat nothing that tastes good " rule, since he got a meatball sub with extra cheese.

Steph chattered a lot about ongoing cases and complained about having to run every morning. Bobby just sat and listened, scanning the room occasionally, as he was trained to do. Finally, their food came, and Steph stopped talking to start eating. She made these moaning sounds that were so fucking sexy. They reminded him of sex with Cathy, and he got rock hard.

He waited until Steph was involved with eating. "Hey, Steph, can I talk to you about something?" he asked. Steph stopped with a stunned expression on her face. Rangemen avoided talking at all costs, resorting to monosyllabic answers when possible. She couldn't believe Bobby was actually asking her to talk. From the expression on his face, it looked like it would be something serious. And he was anxious. She'd never seen Bobby anxious, he didn't do anxious. He did calm, cool, and collected. So this must be something important.

" Wow, a Merry Man actually WANTING to talk? Mark this day on the calendar," she teased, trying to lighten the mood. Bobby gave a fleeting grin, then just stared at her intensely. She looked at him with an expectant expression. Finally, Bobby looked her in the eyes, " Steph, you are a woman," he started. Steph laughed, and made a point of looking down her shirt. " yes, I am, why?" Bobby looked sheepish, like speaking was painful for him.

" I need a woman's advice. A classy woman's advice. " he said. Steph smiled that he thought she was a classy woman. Bobby looked so uncomfortable talking about it that she didn't tease him anymore.

" See, I really like this woman, Cathy, and I want to try to actually have a relationship with her. But I can't stay the night with her. I want to, but I can't and I am afraid that she'll think all I want is sex. "

"Wow. Is this the girl you met with Ranger the other night?" Ranger had told her all about the chemistry between Bobby and the girl.

"Yes, and she isn't my usual type. Usually I just have sex and leave. But Cathy is special. I think I want more with her."

" Why can't you spend the night.?" She asked.

Bobby looked uncomfortable and actually squirmed. " I get these dreams."

"Dreams?", Steph asked. "What kind of dreams?"

Bobby's eyes looked around as if he were afraid someone was close enough to overhear them. He leaned in closer and spoke in a low voice.

" I get really bad dreams. From , you know, when I was in Afghanistan. Sometimes I wake up yelling and thrashing. If I spend the whole night with her, she'll see that. Its too soon in the relationship. I don't want to scare her away." Bobby looked mortified to even be talking to Steph about this. Strong, powerful guys like him definitely didn't want to acknowledge their weaknesses.

Steph couldn't stand to see the look of shame on his face. She covered his hand with hers." Bobby, you get those dreams because of the horrible things you experienced while fighting for your country. That is nothing to be ashamed of. She should be proud that you are such a brave, strong guy. Besides, how do you know that you'll even have one of these dreams?"

" I almost always get one when I am sleeping in an unfamiliar place. " Which meant Cathy's apartment.

Steph caught Bobby's eyes. " Well, you could have her over to your place. But eventually, you are going to have stay at her place. " She squeezed his hand. "You need to be honest with Cathy. Tell her why you are reluctant to spend the night. She'll understand. Give her a chance."

Steph was heartsick that Bobby still suffered from these dreams, even two years after his last tour. But he'd had three tours in a war zone, so he must have seen tome terrible stuff. She knew that he wouldn't want to talk about seeing a therapist, but she was his friend and she had to try.

" Does Ranger know about these dreams?" She squeezed his hand. " Bobby, have you ever thought about talking to someone- a professional. You have to talk to someone. You can't deal with this by yourself, and you shouldn't have to. You can go to the VA, or Rangeman's insurance will cover a therapist." She knew Bobby would probably rather die than go to a therapist.

"Um, yeah, Ranger knows. I think a few of the other guys get them, too." Bobby answered, totally ignoring her comment about the therapist. How ironic that a guy with an innate need to take care of everyone else would be too embarrassed to take care of himself.

They finished and stood up. Steph hugged him. " Bobby you have to be honest with her . Give her a chance. You are a sweet, caring, sexy, amazing guy and if she doesn't want you just because of a few dreams then she isn't good enough for you."

Bobby hugged her tightly for a brief moment and then led her out of the restaurant.

* * *

Cathy had spent most of the day thinking about Bobby. Specifically, the amazing sex. Granted, it had been so long for her that she'd have loved ANY sex, but Bobby had been incredible. He was so attentive to her needs, even before his own. She'd fallen asleep still throbbing and content. She was still confused about why he hadn't stayed with her. He'd left a message saying he'd had to go to work, but she didn't totally believe that. She was used to men not being honest with her, so she assumed that he didn't spend the night because she'd already given him what he wanted. Take her to dinner so you can get laid, then leave.

A guy who looked like him could probably get sex from whoever he wanted, whenever he wanted, no strings attached. She shouldn't have expected he'd want anything more. She couldn't believe she'd had sex with him on the first date. She should at least have made him wait and work for it. Of course, he HAD brought her breakfast the next morning.

Cathy had spent the day helping her friend move into a new apartment. Considering that her ankle was still not completely healed, she couldn't do much of the lifting. But she COULD do what she did best, give everyone else orders. It had taken all morning just to get one room done, and Cathy was exhausted. She stopped to pick up lunch for the "moving crew."

She stopped at a place called "Pino's" and went in to make the order. She was just giving the takeout order to a guy behind the counter, when she spotted a huge man in black out of the corner of her eye. She turned and saw the familiar hard muscled body, - it was Bobby. He was sitting with a dark haired woman. She quickly ducked behind the pole so he wouldn't be able to see her.

He was smiling and leaning close to the woman, talking like they were very familiar with each other. She could be a sister, but they didn't look anything alike. The woman had her hand over his, in a very friendly gesture.

Shit. Cathy tried not to let the feelings of hurt and anger overcome her. Obviously, she was not the only woman Bobby was with. She had thought that last night had been special. He had talked to her as if she was the only one, but that was obviously just a ploy to get inside her pants. Which he did. She was so stupid. Why did this keep happening with her and men? She always fell for their charms and got hurt.

She thought that Bobby had been different, that he was special. But the fact that he left last night and now was with another woman told her that she was not special to him. Just another fuck. A tiny voice in Cathy's brain said that she and Bobby had only been on one date, and neither had said anything about being exclusive, so he had the right to be with another woman. But that part of her reason was trampled by the anger and hurt. Reasoning didn't work worth shit when your heart was breaking.

She watched as they got up and the woman gave Bobby a huge hug. He hugged her back tightly. Ok, no kiss, so that's a good sign. Cathy felt the tears welling up in her eyes, and blinked furiously to stop them from falling.

* * *

Cathy had just gotten back to her place when her phone rang. She didn't recognize the number, but she picked it up anyway.

"Hello?"

She felt herself go weak in the knees when that deep, rich voice came over the line. " Hey, Cathy, its Bobby."

Act casual, she thought to herself. " Hey, Bobby. Thanks for the burrito this morning. I really enjoyed last night."

"yeah, so did I. Dinner was great, and the rest, well, the rest was amazing. I think you are so beautiful. Sorry I left, I had to get to work and I didn't want to wake you."

Cathy paused for a moment. It could be a valid excuse. Except for him being with that other woman today. She wasn't going to be the first one to mention THAT, though.

Bobby's voice got hesitant. " Um, Cathy. I'd really like to see you again. I know its hard to get together during the week, but how about if we have dinner on Friday night?"

Dinner? He wanted dinner? What he really wanted was sex ,Cathy thought, but of course he didn't say that. Of course, it wasn't like she had a bunch of men beating down her door. Bobby was funny and polite, and great in bed. Why not og out with him for the amazing sex? She'd go out with him one more time to see what happened.

"Cathy, are you still there?" Bobby asked, since she'd been silent for so long.

" Um, yeah, sure, I'd love to see you on Friday," she said.

She could almost see Bobby's gorgeous smile over the phone.

"Ok, I'll pick you up at seven."

Cathy hung up the phone and sighed. She was probably foolish to see Bobby again and give him a better shot at breaking her heart.

* * *

Bobby met up with Lester for his shift on Friday.

Lester was surprised at his appearance. "Dude, you look like shit. What the heck happened."

Bobby felt exhausted. His eyes stung, and he was so tired.

"Don't you have another date with Cathy tonight?", Lester asked. Since Bobby had told him about the dreams, Lester was acting like a freaking relationship expert. " Chicks hate it when guys fall asleep on dates."

Actually, Bobby thought, he'd love to be able to sleep on this date.

" I haven't slept for more than 8 hours out of the last 72 hours," Bobby said.

" What the fuck?" That's almost like hell week at BUD/S training that Bobby had taken to become a SEAL. But there they did it to test stamina. Why would Bobby do it now?

"What the hell is the matter with you? You have a date tonight. Why the hell are you letting yourself get sleep deprived."

Bobby sighed. " I told you I really like Cathy. She's special."

"So you are going to show her she's special by falling asleep during sex?"

"No, asshole," Bobby said, not wanting to deal with Lester's shit today. "I'm doing it so I call fall asleep AFTER sex. If I really tire myself out, exhaust myself, then I usually fall right to sleep and don't get the dreams. That way I can spend the night at Cathy's without scaring the shit out of her with my issues."

Lester was amazed. " Shit, Bobby. You must really have it bad for her." He wondered if there was time to start a new poll about Bobby actually spent the night at Cathy's. Lester had made a lot of money in the last one.

* * *

Bobby picked up Cathy at 7, as agreed. She had forgotten just how breathtakingly gorgeous he looked. He wasn't wearing that sexy black uniform, but had on a pair of black slacks and a green shirt that made his eyes just sparkle. He looked kind of tired though, as if he'd had a really busy week.

Those tired looking eyes lit up when he saw her. He ran his eyes up and down her body, then said, " You look mouthwatering," in a deep, sexy tone that made her knees start to tremble. So what if he just wanted sex, she thought. He was damn good at it, so she might as well let him blow her mind.

Dinner was pleasant, filled with quiet conversation. Bobby told her stories about some of the skips that he'd gotten during the week. Cathy mostly talked about some of the difficult cases she'd had this week, including one minor who was back in rehab for the second time at 18. Bobby could tell from the passion in her eyes when she spoke that she was very dedicated and loved her job. Some of the cases really seemed to get to her personally, as well. He personally was concentrating on not falling asleep and trying to keep his hands off of her.

After dinner, they went back to Cathy's place. Bobby sat down and thought about telling her about the dreams, but she smelled so damn good, and she looked so fucking amazing. He wasn't sure exactly how it happened, but he suddenly just found his lips on hers and before long, they were both naked. She was moaning and arching as he sucked her breasts hard. Her hands were on his dick, and it felt so fucking good. They wound up in her bed, her straddling him, thrusting up and down hard and fast on his dick. Bobby thought he'd fucking explode. She was so warm and tight and wet, and she took all of him, over and over.

They came almost simultaneously, and then she fell on top of him, both of them breathing hard, with him still inside her. He was so tired, it was all he could do to pull out of her and throw the condom in the trash. Neither of them said anything, they just lay there, breathing hard, stroking each other.

Bobby hoped he didn't have his dreams tonight, because there was no way in hell he was leaving this bed and this incredible woman. He had deliberately locked his gun in the lock box in his truck so he didn't have to worry about that. He hoped he didn't scream or worse yet, jump her in the midst of a dream. He was so fucking tired he couldn't move if the place was on fire. He closed his eyes, and lulled by the soft breathing of the woman next to him, he fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Bobby Meets His Match- Chapter 8

Sorry it has taken me so long to write this, but I haven't felt much like writing. I wrote this chapter, in particular, to reflect my utmost respect for and gratitude to those who endure unthinkable horrors of war in service of their country. Even those who survive often pay a terrible price.

Please leave feedback, as I live for it.

Bobby was so fucking tired he couldn't move if the place was on fire. He closed his eyes, and lulled by the soft breathing of the woman next to him, he fell asleep.

_The sound of soft breathing was replaced by that of the ragged, gasping breaths being taken by the Lt. with a gaping wound in his thigh. Bobby yelled at one of the men to come help him as he frantically applied pressure, trying to stop the man from bleeding out under him. " Its ok, sir, you're going to be ok, " he whispered to the man, who was only barely conscious. Bobby knew it was a lie, so did the Lt. Blood continued to pour out from the ruptured artery in the man's leg even as Bobby leaned all his weight on the man, trying desperately to increase the pressure and apply a tourniquet to his mangled leg. But even as he leaned over he saw the man's pupils fix and his body stopped moving its horrible rasping for air went completely silent. Bobby rapidly felt for a pulse, but he knew that his Lt. was already gone. Bobby met the young Marine's eyes and saw his own anger and frustration reflected there. It was his job to keep his team alive, and he wasn't doing a very fucking good job of it. _

_Bobby got up and looked around him at the rest of his small squad. His eyes filled with tears momentarily as he looked at them. The lifeless bodies of men who had been his teammates and friends were scattered all over the ground, bloody and broken. The six men in his squad had been tasked with ridding this area of tangos, but they had been ambushed almost as soon as they had inserted into the area. Someone had been tipped off that they were coming, and a sniper was there at the ready. Four of his squad had been killed almost instantly as they came off the chopper. The helo of course, left immediately, not wanting to get shot down, either. He'd tried to save everyone of his wounded men , but with the primitive conditions in this sandy hellhole and the powerful ammunition that had been designed to do maximum damage when it shot into their bodies had gotten the better of even his skills, and one by one they had died. _

_Now it was just he and Tim, the young Marine, who looked about 19, and whose fear surrounded him like a miasma. It was down to the two of them. The helo had radioed for their backup, but until the damn tangoes could be taken out and the anti-aircraft missiles destroyed, Bobby and Tim were on their own. Bobby's own fear had been squelched long ago. Fear did no good in a place like this. It only paralyzed you. He had long ago learned to recognize the fear, quickly compartmentalize it, and focus on what had to be done to stay alive. Tim was looking at Bobby, as the experienced one, for direction. To keep him alive. Tim was looking at him with such trust, oblivious to the fact that Bobby had failed the rest fo the squad._

_Bobby and Tim split up to try to clear the tangos out of this immediate building. If they could rid this immediate area of them, they may be able to use this half demolished building as cover and hold out until reinforcements arrived. Bobby took a moment to listen, his assault rifle held high, his finger on the trigger, ready to send round after round rapid fire into any tango that crossed his path. He crept silently towards the front of the structure, but had to duck back into cover as rounds went flying past his head. Shit. There were more tangos than he had anticipated. He occasionally would dart out from behind his cover to unleash another hail of bullets at his attackers. He knew he'd hit at least three of them, but the bullets kept coming. Fuck._

_In his peripheral vision, he saw Tim, behind cover across the structure, also engaged in a firefight with several tangos on his side of the structure. Bobby could tell that Tim hadn't had much experience under these conditions. Tim was staying too long out of cover, and his shots were going wild. Bobby had temporarily rid himself of his group, and was now moving slowly and silently in a crouch, to where Tim was still under fire, to give him a hand._

_He was just a few steps away and had taken out two of Tim's aggressors, when time seemed to stop. He saw Tim, as if in slow motion, pop out from cover at the exact same time as a tangoe was raising his gun. Bobby could see what was going to happen, but was helpless to stop it. " Get down," he yelled, as he fired on the enemy. But the tango had gotten one shot off before Bobby's bullet hit him point blank in the head. Bobby yelled as he saw Tim, crumple to the ground, a look of surprise on his face. He ran over to him, but Tim had died instantly. "Fuck," Bobby whispered to himself, wanting to scream it and take out all these fuckers. The shooting had stopped momentarily as the bad guys regrouped. But Bobby knew it would soon start again. The tangos wouldn't rest until all the American were dead. Bobby was alone now, and he had to stay alive until backup came so he could get himself and his buddies out of there. They had never left anyone behind, Bobby wasn't going to start now._

_Bobby left Tim's side, and found a secluded corner from which he had an obstructed view of the entire area. He reloaded his rifle and checked the clip on his sidearm, cursing the fact that he didn't have any grenades with him. He took a deep breath and centered himself, carefully listening. The structure was silent, filled as it was with mostly the dead. But Bobby could hear footsteps approaching and was picking off insurgents as they walked by. He had enough ammo that he could keep this up for awhile. As long as they didn't find him. His muscles were rigid and stiff, his mind alert, ready to head off any threat and do whatever it took to get out of here alive. He owed it to his men to kill all these fuckers for them. Bobby barely even breathed. All his attention was focused on holding off the tangoes, and he couldn't focus in all directions. He had just finished blowing a giant hole in another tango, when he heard a slight sound behind him and, before his mind had even registered the threat, he felt a hand fall on his shoulder. He instantly sprang…_

Bobby was shocked to find himself looking into a set of beautiful, terrified green eyes, he realized that his naked body was completely pinning not a terrorist , but a woman, he had the length of his arm under her chin, against her neck, ready to choke her, beginning to apply pressure, when…_what the fuck? _He froze for a moment, his eyes looking into her terrified green ones , his mind desperately trying to remember where he was, and what the hell was going on. It took him a second to realize that , no he wasn't back there in the heat of combat, he was here, in bed with, and currently almost choking, the woman of his dreams.

As soon as the realization hit him, he instantly removed his arm and jumped off of her and across the bed. 'oh, fuck, I am so sorry… did I hurt you?," he asked, his eyes anguished. He didn't see any bruises thank God. What the fuck kind of asshole was he? He had nearly choked her to death. He had slowly moved towards her to touch her, to make sure he hadn't hurt her. " Did I hurt you?" he asked again, horrified, thankful that he had come back to his senses before he had applied any real pressure to her throat. He didn't think he'd hurt her but he had probably terrified the hell out of her. Fuck.

Bobby saw her sit up, rubbing her throat, terror and confusion still in her green eyes.

" No, no I'm ok," she said, in a shaky voice. She was looking at him with an odd expression on her face. She didn't seem scared anymore, only confused and concerned. Bobby was still trembling with the enormity of what had almost happened. He leaned against the nightstand, hunched over, his head in his hands, his body intensely rigid as he wrestled with his fear, anger, and intense shame.

Cathy crawled across the bed and started to reach for him. " Don't touch me," he managed to mumble brusquely to her. He didn't want her touching him until he had gotten complete control of himself. He didn't want her to think he was any more of an evil monster than she already did. He would never purposely lay a hand on a woman, and certainly not Cathy. He kept his head in his hands and tried to calm himself, to get his rigid muscles to relax. He knew he should never have spent the night here. Could he have possibly have fucked this up any more than he did?

Cathy had backed off physically, but said, " Bobby, are you ok?" He had to laugh at the irony of that. He had attacked her and SHE was asking HIM if he was ok. She was so sweet. No, he wasn't ok. He was mortified, ashamed, and embarrassed. "Yeah, I'm ok," he said, turning towards her but not making eye contact. He couldn't bear to look her in the eyes. She had trusted him, and he had almost…

He didn't want to look at her , but he knew she deserved some explanation, lame as it was. His eyes darted up to hers, then quickly down again." Are you sure you're um, ok…". She nodded again. "I'm fine," she said. Again his eyes met hers briefly, " I am so sorry. I get these dreams sometimes…and then I get…" he tapered off, not knowing what else to say.

He was now going around the room, gathering his clothes, quickly putting them on. He wanted to get her to a hospital, to make absolutely sure he hadn't damaged the fragile area of her throat, and then get the hell away from her. This was why he fucking couldn't let himself get close with women. Fuck. He now had absolutely no chance with this beautiful woman that he really liked. He finished dressing rapidly, feeling tears well up in his eyes.

He looked at her briefly again. He couldn't bear the thought that he might have hurt her physically. He knew he had already hurt her emotionally. " Um, I have to go. I can take you to the ER, or, um, if you don't want to go with me, I can get you an ambulance." He just wanted the fuck out of here. She shook her head, "Bobby , no. Honestly, I'm fine. I don't need an ER or an ambulance." Here eyes were filled with unshed tears and he wasn't sure if they were from fear or from sadness.

"Well, I,,am so fucking sorry. And I really like you. The sex and um, everything else was amazing , before…" he realized he sounded like a moron, so he shut up. He was heading towards the door. "Please get checked out and let me know if you are ok. And again, I am so sorry." He had to get the fuck out of here NOW. He knew he had blown it, and he would never see her again. Hell, he'd be lucky if she didn't file assault and battery charges against him. He'd deserve it. It was almost unbearable, since he liked her so much.. His eyes welled with tears and he hurried through the door before she could see them fall.

* * *

Lester had had duty with Bobby for two days now, and he didn't think Bobby had said even ten words to him in all that time. Not that Les and Bobby were big talkers, but Bobby could usually be counted on to exchange banter back and forth. But other than the basic, necessary exchanging of information about the mission, he had clamed up completely. He hadn't even smiled and hugged Steph in the mornings like he always does, only muttering a "hi." in response to her greeting.

Lester hadn't even gotten the details of the night Bobby had spent at Cathy's a couple of nights ago, but judging by Bobby's foul mood since then, things hadn't gone well. Les assumed they had gotten it on, but he knew that Bobby had been trying to prevent his "problem" from occurring. He guessed it was safe to assume that bad stuff had happened.

" So, are you ever going to tell me if your sleep deprivation plan worked the other night at Cathy's? Les prodded.

Bobby was wearing dark shades as he drove the Rangeman vehicle down the highway. Other than occasional glances in the rearview, Bobby's gaze never left the road. He didn't even turn his head Les's way.

"No," was all he said.

Bobby didn't want to talk about what had happened. How badly he had blown it with the woman of his dreams. How he had accidentally almost fucking KILLED her. How much he ached when he listened to the message on his voicemail, telling him that she had seen her regular doctor and was truly all right. How he'd seen her number flashing on his cell screen and deliberately let it go to voicemail because he didn't know what the hell to say to her? How much he wanted her, but now that she'd seen what a mess he was she'd never want him.

Lester never knew when to give up. " Come on, man, I'm your best friend. We should be sharing all the details."

"Les, shut. The . Fuck. Up. " Bobby said, his voice filled with warning.

Les knew he could be an asshole sometimes, but Bobby was his best friend. He loved him in that manly, camaraderie sort of way. He knew bad shit must have happened that night. And he knew that Bobby was probably embarrassed and ashamed, and bummed that he'd scared of she who was obviously his soul mate. Plus, Les could relate, because, well, he had been through similar shit and he still had dreams about it too.

Bobby had parked on the street about two blocks down form the house where the skip lived. "It'll make you feel better if you talk about it," Les chided.

That got him a sidelong glance. "What are you suddenly Dr. Fucking Phil?" Bobby retorted. " You want to know what happened. Fine. I'll tell you what happened. I went over, I had the most fucking amazing sex of my life with a woman I've completely fallen for. Then, I had a nightmare and attacked her and almost accidentally killed her, thus ruining any chance I might have had with the only woman I've ever felt this way about. Now, are you happy now?'

Shit. Lester had been afraid it was something like that. He had no fucking idea what to say. He knew how much Bobby had liked Cathy.

"Sorry, man, that sucks," was all he could manage to come up with, as he clapped Bobby's shoulder in a show of masculine sympathy. He knew Bobby was probably embarrassed and ashamed. He'd have to get him shitfaced drunk after work to make him forget his troubles.

Two hours later, Lester and Bobby returned to Rangeman, having caught their skip, deposited him at the police station, and collected the fee. There had been no more discussion of Bobby's issue after his blowup, and Bobby had gone back to impersonating a clam.

They checked in at the control center and Bobby was heading off to his apartment. Ranger motioned him over. He was grinning. " Hey Bobby, that cute redhead , Cathy, we met the other night on the call. The one with the twisted ankle. " Bobby nodded. Ranger went on, grinning, oblivious to Bobby's recent dealings with Cathy. " You must have made quite an impression, because she came here looking for you. She said she has been trying to contact you for two days but couldn't get in touch with you. So she came here, demanding to see you." Hal chimed in, " Yeah, when we told her you were out on an assignment and to call later, she said, she'd wait." Hal got a goofy grin on his face, " She's waiting for you now in the conference room."

She was waiting for him in the conference room? Bobby wasn't sure if he wanted to run towards her or run away.


	9. Chapter 9

Bobby Meets His Match-Chapter 9

_Please leave feedback, as I live for it. _

Cathy sat staring at her reflection in the shiny conference room table. She felt a bit nervous here at Rangeman, with all these guys in black, but so far they had been very nice to her. The guy at the front desk downstairs had been polite but reluctant to let her through when she came into the building saying she HAD to talk to Bobby. Maybe he thought she was some kind of crackpot, Bobby was so handsome he probably had crazy women stalkers following him. The guy at the desk, whose name turned out to be Zip, made her wait while he made a call, and within moments across the lobby came the dark haired, handsome guy, Ranger, she remembered from that disastrous encounter in her office. When she explained that she HAD to see Bobby, Ranger hadn't been able to totally hide the slight smirk from his face. He'd asked about her ankle, and told her Bobby was out in the field on an assignment. She had to work hard to keep herself from crying. She'd been trying to reach Bobby for days, and coming to Rangeman was the only other way she could think of to find him, and now he wasn't here.

Ranger must have noticed the look of disappointment in her eyes, because he'd told her Bobby was due back in a couple of hours and would she like to wait? Ranger had escorted her into the elevator and to a fifth floor conference room, where she settled back in a thick ,comfy leather chair. A HUGE guy named Hal brought her coffee and then asked her if she had "everything she needs." She couldn't help but notice this HUGE man dressed in black, who looked incongruous carrying a small cup of coffee in his giant hands. She had noticed that ALL the guys in this place were huge, dressed in black, and each wore at least one gun. What kind of company was this?

All the guys were handsome, especially that Ranger, and there must be some requirement at Rangeman that all the guys have massive biceps, , but none of them was as handsome and sexy, or as well built as Bobby.

Cathy sat, gripping the cup, staring at her reflection and sighing. She wasn't sure if Bobby would even see her. He'd been avoiding her the last few days. To be honest, she wasn't sure what she would say to him. She really liked him, possibly more than she should, considering she hadn't known him all that long. He was strong, sweet, sexy, and solid. Except when he has a bad dream and tries to kill me, she thought. It broke her heart to think about what Bobby must have gone through to have such terrible nightmares. And she would never forget the look of shame horror and on his face when he realized what he had almost done. He hadn't hurt her, but for a guy like Bobby, the thought that he COULD have hurt her, even unintentionally, would be unacceptable. He was obviously embarrassed that she had seen him in a moment of weakness.

Cathy's ruminations were interrupted by the vibrating of her phone. She reached into her purse, looked at the number, then rolled her eyes and threw the phone back into her purse, unanswered. Damn. Her loser ex-boyfriend had been calling her a lot in the last three days. They had been broken up for almost a year and suddenly, he wanted her back. Cathy had been very clear that she was with someone else and not to call her again, but Scott obviously wouldn't listen. She hadn't answered any of his calls or returned any of the eight increasingly more agitated messages he'd left for her in the last three days. There was no way she'd even talk to Scott again. Bobby was so different from Scott, although they were both strong powerful men. The difference was the Bobby was sweet, gentle, strong, and solid, while Scott was psycho and condescending. Scott had even hit her once, right before she left him, and he hadn't even been contrite. Despite Bobby's reaction to his dream, Cathy knew he would NEVER hurt her.

Cathy grinned as yet another of the men in black craned his head to look into the conference room. Five different guys had walked past that door since she came, a couple of them twice. And they had each made a point to appear subtle as they deliberately checked her out. Like they had never seen a woman before or something. For guys that were supposed to be stealthy, these guys had the subtlety of a lumbering elephant. Apparently, she was quite the sensation. She guessed that it wasn't often that a woman came to see one of the men and was willing to wait two hours for him to return. The guys were probably wondering if she was a crazy stalker. Another guy, Ram, poked his head in and asked if she needed anything else. So subtle.

Cathy wasn't prepared for the woman that she saw through the conference room door. What the hell? It was the same dark haired woman she'd seen with Bobby in the restaurant, Pino's. She had held Bobby's hand and hugged him. Who was she? What was she doing here? Did she work here? Would Bobby have sex with Cathy if he was already seeing this other woman? Cathy didn't think so, but she had been wrong about a guy before.

Cathy watched the dark haired woman talk to Ranger, as her cell phone went off again. Damn. It was Scott. She was tired of this. She threw the phone open. " I told you to quit calling me," she said, lowering her voice when she heard it echo in the mostly empty room. "Baby, I need to see you," Scott said, again oblivious to her words. " No, I won't see you . Don't call me. Go away. I am not with you I am with someone else now. You need to move on and quit calling me."

Oh, great. The dark haired woman had poked her head into the conference room just in time to hear Cathy say, "quit calling me." Cathy quickly snapped the phone shut and looked up at her adversary.

* * *

Steph looked towards the conference room at the red haired woman sitting there. " That's Cathy? The girl that has Bobby tied in knots?," Ranger couldn't hide his smile. " She showed up downstairs, insisting that she had to see Bobby." he told her. "She's been waiting for over an hour." Steph had a bad feeling. "Did she tell you what's going on?" she asked. Ranger gave her a look. "Well, I know Bobby has completely fallen for her, but I have no idea why she needs to come here to see him." he said. "Maybe Bobby hasn't called her?" Ranger seemed amused, but unconcerned about Cathy's presence.

Steph remembered how upset Bobby had been when he'd talked to her several days ago about his dreams affecting his relationship with Cathy. "By the way, Ranger, do you know about his dreams?" Ranger gave her his blankface. She hated that. " You must know about the nightmares Bobby has. He was worried about upsetting Cathy with them. He told me you knew. Doesn't our insurance cover a therapist for him to talk to?"

Ranger's face remained impassive, but she knew he was cringing inside at the word "therapist." This was a topic none of the guys would talk about. She stared at Ranger, waiting for him to answer. He finally gave in. " Any of my guys are free to see a shrink at any time if they want to. Most of them would probably rather die than talk to a shrink." Ranger turned, obviously dismissing the topic. She grabbed his arm. " Ranger, I don't think Bobby is the only one of the guys who has nightmares. They need to talk to someone." She wondered if Ranger had them. He'd never mentioned it to her. She knew the thought that any of them might have emotional issues was unacceptable to guys like these. "Look, Steph, the guys know they can see a shrink if they want to. Beyond that, leave it alone." She sighed. She was willing to bet a truckload of Tastycakes that Bobby's dreams were part of the reason Cathy was here, frantic to see him. Bobby was so sweet , he deserved to be loved without some stupid dreams messing things up.

Steph poked her head in the conference room door to hear the redhead whispering into her phone, "quit calling me." Hmm… interesting. Probably NOT talking to Bobby. Cathy snapped the phone shut, and looked up , giving Steph an assessing look.

Steph smiled and held out her hand. " Hi, I'm Stephanie Plum. Ranger tells me you are here to see Bobby. You must be Cathy." Cathy stood up and shook Stephanie's hand, giving her what seemed like a forced smile. "Yes, I'm Cathy Jurgens."

Stephanie sat down across the table from her. "Bobby has talked so much about you. He's told me how much he likes you." Cathy just sat across from her with a confused look on her face. Why would Bobby tell his girlfriend that he was seeing Cathy?

"Um, do you work here with Bobby?" Cathy asked the question with the obvious answer.

Cathy wondered why Bobby's girlfriend was here talking to her. She saw the look in Stephanie's eyes when she mentioned Bobby. It was obvious this girl really loved him. Damn. What the hell was he fooling around with Cathy for if he was with Stephanie? She saw the woman smile. "Yes, I work here part time. Its Ranger's company and I work here a few days a week. Bobby and the guys work here full time.

Stephanie's gaze was shifting between Cathy and the shiny table. It was obvious that there was some awkward topic she wanted to bring up. Cathy just wanted to get the hell out of here, shattered that she had been so wrong about Bobby. Stephanie sighed,l ooking out the door at Ranger , and then back at Cathy.

" Look, Cathy, this is really none of my business, but I really love Bobby and I want him to be happy." Cathy's chest hurt and suddenly she couldn't breathe. Why was Stephanie telling her that she loved Bobby? Was she warning Cathy away from him? She sure as hell didn't want to talk to Bobby's girlfriend about him. She wanted to get out of here and curl up into a ball and cry.

"All the guys here, they are like brothers to me, especially Bobby," Steph was saying.

"Like brothers?" What?" Cathy thought.

"Brothers,? Cathy mumbled. "Then you aren't his girlfri…?" she stopped because Stephanie was looking at her like she had grown a second head.

" Bobby's girlfriend? No, why would you think? I'm with Ranger." Steph said.

. "Because I saw…" Cathy let her voice taper off, not wanting to appear any more of a fool than she already did. She felt her heart lighten with relief with the knowledge that Bobby hadn't played her.

Stephanie sighed. She knew she shouldn't interefere. Bobby probably wouldn't want her to and he'd be angry that Steph was discussing him with anyone, especially Cathy. But, damn it, he really liked this woman, he deserved to have her. It wouldn't be fair for Cathy to be afraid of him because of his dreams. Shit. She was never good at this type of thing. She wished Cathy would just say weather she was here because of Bobby's dreams.

"Look. You probably know that Bobby is a great guy. He's strong, caring, sweet, smart, and rock solid. He is always so calm and collected, he can handle any situation." Stephanie paused, looked over her shoulder at the guys in the main office, then back at Cathy.

" Most of the guys here are ex-military, Special Forces, most of them have been in war zones. I know they have seen people die and they have probably had to kill. I can't even imagine some of the things they have been through, some of the things they must have seen. I know a lot of the guys who make it home from war wind up having some issues later on." Cathy was just staring at her, not offering any information. God, Steph didn't think she could be more blatant without coming right out and asking her.

"Bobby is one of the strongest, sweetest, most solid, stable guys I have ever met. He always wants to take care of the people around him, but he doesn't ever think about taking care of himself. Strong guys like him never want to admit that sometimes they need to be taken care of, too." She looked into Cathy's green eyes and tried to make her understand. " Bobby deserves to have someone who will love him and take care of him, even though he doesn't think he needs to be taken care of."

Stephanie was interrupted by loud voices in the outer office room. Apparently, the guys who were in the field, presumably Bobby too, were back. Steph looked over her shoulder, then leaned closer to Cathy and whispered, as if she didn't want the guys in the office to hear.

" Bobby would never , ever hurt me., or you. He has saved me many times. I trust him implicitly, with my life. You can trust him with yours, too." Then, she suddenly got up and quickly left the room.

Cathy heard low male voices coming from the office. She was pretty sure one of them was Bobby's. She took a deep breath. She wasn't sure if he would be glad she was here, or angry. She had gotten the not very subtle hints Stephanie had dropped about Bobby. She had already decided that he was a great guy and she would help him deal with his nightmares. The real question was, would Bobby want help?

Cathy pushed aside her cup and fixed her lipstick. She saw that other guy, the guy from the First Aid class, she thought his name was Lester, walk past. He peeked in the door, waved and smiled, and walked past without saying anything.

Cathy waited there, in the silence of the conference room, for what seemed like a century.

* * *

Bobby paused just out of sight of the door to the conference room. His heart had started racing the minute Ranger told him that Cathy was there. Apparently, she'd been waiting there two hours for him. Bobby tried to calm the panic that was going through his mind. He had no idea what to say to her, what she would say. She would probably be mad that he hadn't returned her calls, and yes, he was a jerk for that. But what the hell would he say?" Sorry, I almost killed you and then ran out?" Steph was standing at the end of the hallway, and she seemed to be watching. Great. Did everyone know what had happened?

Bobby took another steadying breath. He was not a coward, he didn't run away from things. He tightened his resolve and walked into the conference room. She was sitting at the table and she was so beautiful that it hurt to look at her. Part of him wanted to grab her and hold her and not let go, part of him wanted to leave the room and protect her from the possibility he might actually hurt her. He looked into her green eyes and felt himself almost get sucked into the depths of them, then looked away. He couldn't tell exactly what he saw in those incredible eyes.

Why had she come? To tell him to go to hell? To look at him with pity, like some weakling? Or a monster? Hell, maybe something was wrong. Maybe she needed him.

" Is everything, um, are you, ..is everything ok?" he managed to stammer out. Damn. What the hell was wrong with him? He couldn't think, let alone talk when he was around her.

She smiled slightly and said, " I was actually wondering if you were ok. You know, since you didn't return any of my calls."

Bobby looked sheepish, " Yeah, I am, um, sorry about that. I've been really busy."

Then he sighed. Shit. He wanted this woman so much , he had to be honest. The hell with it, just fucking tell the truth, he thought.

" I was, um, kinda avoiding you. I didn't know what to say. I was, um, scared…" he tripped over the word, as if saying it was physically painful for him. "…of what you would say."

Shit he hated this. He wanted her so much, he wanted to bury his face in her soft breasts and just hold her forever. Shit. She looked like she was trying to decide what to say , and he knew that the next phrase out of her mouth would include the word "talk." Bobby didn't want to talk. At least not about what she wanted to talk about. He didn't want to talk about his nightmares, he didn't want to think about them, he didn't want her thinking about them.

" I came because I think we should talk…"

Bingo. There it was. He was either going to get the "you are an ass" speech or the " you poor baby" speech he didn't want either. He didn't want the woman he loved to see his weakness or see him as some violent monster.

" So, how long were you in Iraq? Or was it Afghanistan?," she asked softly.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Bobby did NOT want to talk about this with her, not with anyone. He wished he could forget what happened over there. He tried not to think about it. He sure as hell didn't want her thinking about it.

" Um, it was, um, Afghanistan. I did three tours," his voice cracked as he spoke. His chest felt tight, his heart was pounding and he couldn't breathe. Shit. Maybe he was having a fucking heart attack.

"That's what the dreams are about?" she prodded.

Bobby couldn't do more than nod. He felt like he was being ripped apart. He cared more about this woman than he had ever cared about anyone. He didn't want to lose her. But he couldn't go there. If he went there in his subconscious , he couldn't help that, but he sure as hell wasn't going there on purpose. He wasn't sure his sanity could take that.

" I don't, always have them. Usually… well… it was a new place and…, if we were at my place, in my bed, I wouldn't have them." Bobby tried to breathe, tried to get back his usually rock solid steadiness. "I'm sorry that I scared you. That I almost… hurt… you"

Cathy looked into Bobby's eyes, filled with a combination of wanting, anger, and shame. A guy as strong as Bobby would be mortified that he had shown any weakness, regardless of the fact that it wasn't his fault. This man was so strong, so steady, and yet so hurt and vulnerable.

She smiled slightly. " Well, it might have been nice if you had warned me of what might happen."

Bobby shrugged. ' I though of that, but I didn't want to scare you away. " Shit. He never had this hard of a time talking. Why was it so much harder when you were talking to someone you love? He didn't want to fuck it up any more than he had.

" I did sleep deprivation. I tried to get so exhausted that I would sleep all night. That usually works."

She nodded, and Bobby moved closer to her. He stopped when the cell phone in her purse vibrated loudly. That was the second time it had gone off.

"Do you need to , um, check that?"

She rummaged around in that huge purse of hers until she found the phone. She looked at the display and Bobby saw a tiny look of fear and worry flash across her face before she covered it. But her face had gone pale.

" Is there a problem?" he asked.


	10. Chapter 10

Bobby meets His Match- Chapter 10

I wanted to get this posted before my Spring break was over.

Please leave reviews, as I live for them.

"Is there a problem?," Bobby asked, as he saw the fear flicker over her face in response to the phone call. Cathy's eyes darted from his to the phone, and her face had become very pale. Something was definitely wrong here. "Um, no, she said, just um, someone I don't want to talk to." She took a deep breath and set the phone aside, then walked closer to Bobby.

"So, have you, uh, talked to, anyone about your dreams? You know, like a professional? " she asked, choosing her words carefully, as if she knew this was a delicate topic. Fuck, thought Bobby. She meant a shrink. Fucking perfect. Now the woman he loved thought he was some kind of psycho, like he was going to go postal or something. No he hadn't talked about it to anyone, least of all a shrink. There were some things you just didn't talk about. Things that were better left in the past and never revisited. Hell, Lester was his best friend and he'd barely even mentioned the damn dreams to him.

'No, I haven't," he said in what he hoped was a quiet, "leave it alone and don't go there" voice. He didn't want to scare her away, but he definitely did NOT want to talk about his dreams.

Cathy opened her mouth to speak when the phone vibrated loudly again. She seemed startled by it, and when she looked down at it, she got pale again. Her obvious fear definitely set Bobby's danger instincts off, besides he was glad to have the attention diverted from his issues. THIS was where he felt comfortable, dealing with someone else's issues, taking care of someone else's problems, not his own.

"It sounds like someone really needs to talk to you," he said, nodding at the phone. He wanted to know what the hell was going on, and there was one way to find out. "Go ahead answer it, and I'll give you some privacy." He walked just outside the conference room and closed the door softly behind him.

Bobby stood just outside the conference room door, listening as Cathy answered the phone, her voice muffled. No, he didn't consider it eavesdropping. To him it was reconnaissance, or intelligence gathering. In order to deal with a problem, you had to have accurate information. "I told you not to call me anymore," he heard her say, her voice shaking. He looked through the slits between the open blinds and saw that she had sunk into one of the leather chairs, her head down in the palm of her hand. "Look, I told you, we are through. I have moved on. You need to . ' her voice was shaking and it sounded like she was trying hard not to cry. " Don't come near me, stay out of my life." She hung up the phone quickly. Bobby felt the testosterone rising and with it came an overwhelming feeling of anger. Someone was bothering her, someone she was afraid of. Bobby knew he was sometimes a bit too overprotective, at least that's what Steph always told him. He took care of people, that's what he did. He wouldn't allow the people he cared about to be hurt. He didn't know what the hell was going on with Cathy, who was bothering her, but he was going to find out.

He glanced through the blinds and saw that Cathy was fighting back tears, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue, so he gave her a few more minutes alone to compose herself.

Steph knew she shouldn't get involved. It was none of her business, and the guys were so secretive they definitely wouldn't appreciate her interfering in their lives . But hell, they all interfered in hers. They would say that they were just protecting her, so that was different. She knew the guys might get mad at her for this, but she didn't care. She loved Ranger and she loved all the guys like brothers. She couldn't handle them suffering and not at least try to help. She'd tried to bring up the subject with Ranger twice now, and he had simply ignored it and moved on. She'd have to try a different approach.

She knew Lester was Bobby's best friend, so he was a good place to start. She had followed him down to the shooting range in the basement. Ram and Zip were just finishing up, so she waited for them to leave. Lester had just finished shooting his AR-17 rifle and was changing out the magazine when she wandered in. He was just getting ready to fire off another round when he caught sight of her in his peripheral vision. He hid the look of surprise. He lowered the rifle and greeted her, " Hey Steph. Be still my heart, don't tell me you are here for target practice." He grinned at her. Smartass.

"Yeah, right.," she said, returning his grin". You know I don't do that unless Ranger makes me. Actually, I came because I need some advice about something." Lester smiled again and put down the huge rifle. ""You seek some of my wisdom" he joked and sat down on the bench. Steph sat next to him, and there was a moment of awkward silence. She didn't know how to begin.

" I just met Bobby's girlfriend. She seems really sweet," Steph said. Lester nodded. "Yeah, she's hot and she's got him all messed up. Poor bastard," Lester teased. " She came here to talk to him. I guess they got in a fight or something." Lester's face had transformed from grinning to blank. He obviously didn't feel comfortable talking to her about his best friend. Guys were like that.

She decided to jump right in. " I told her what a great guy Bobby is, but I think she's scared because he had one of his dreams." Lester's face didn't change, but she could feel him tense when she said the word "dreams." " I guess I didn't realize Bobby had bad dreams and how much they affected him." Lester could have been a statue, as rigid and expressionless as he sat. Steph just forged on. "Anyway, I hadn't realized how much he was affected by the dreams until he told me, and I wondered if there were others who had them."

Lester finally looked at her, his face completely blank. She wondered if that was something they taught the guys in the military. All the guys at Rangeman could do that annoying "blankface." Maybe it was a job requirement. " Look, Steph, most of the guys here at Rangeman are veterans. Ranger deliberately hires ex-military. Sometimes when you come back, there are some issues. Its not a big deal."

" I think it's a big deal for Bobby. He told me he was afraid to spend the night at her place because he might have one, and apparently he did." Lester seemed surprised to find that Bobby had talked to her about the dreams. " Look, I don't know what Bobby told you, but its not that big a deal. Leave it alone." Lester's voice was firm, but not harsh.

"Well, the problem is, I don't think Bobby is the only one around here who gets dreams. I bet Ranger does, although he won't talk to me about it. " She looked hard at Lester, who was looking in her direction, but with his focus distant. " I bet you get them, too." Lester didn't move, not a muscle. She couldn't even tell if he was breathing.

She touched his arm and he jerked, but didn't pull away. " You know how much I love Ranger, and I care about all you guys. I can't stand the thought that you are still suffering from these dreams, that they might still be affecting your lives so much. I want to see what I can do to get Bobby, and Ranger, and you, to get some help." She paused. "Professional help."

Her hand was still on Lester's arm, he looked down at it, then finally made eye contact with her , though he still had on blankface. The weird thing is he can do "blank eyes" too. You can not tell what he is thinking or feeling from his eyes. "IS this what you wanted advice about?," he asked. Steph nodded. " I want to know what is the best way to help, encourage, -whatever -the guys to get help. " He sighed, and there was at least 60 entire seconds of dead silence. Then he took her hand and squeezed it gently. " Look, Steph, I appreciate your concern. I am sure the other guys would, too. But this is something you should just leave alone."

That wasn't a good answer for Steph, and she pushed. "But Lester, you don't have to be bothered by dreams. None of you guys do. If Bobby's dreams are bad enough that he scared the hell out of Cathy, I imagine the rest of have the same." For a second his blankface slipped, and she could tell that she was right- he had some terrible dreams too. "You guys shouldn't have to keep suffering from your service to your country. Talking to someone can help you come to terms with whatever terrible things happened over there."

Lester's face became insistent. He sighed loudly. " Look, Steph. Here's the deal. For me, for anyone who was over there, well, you can't even imagine some of the things we've seen, some of the things we've had to do. Hell, I can't even believe some of it, and I was there. Bobby, Ranger, the other guys and me, we were lucky, we made it home, physically, and for the most part mentally, intact. But part of us will always be in the war, at least in our subconscious. It affects Bobby, and yes, me, sometimes, in dreams. That is bad enough. Talking to someone about it, that would mean acknowledging it, reliving it. We'd be bringing it from our subconscious to our waking moments, reliving it again, having to survive it again. That's something we can't afford to do. For our sanity, it has to stay where it is."

Steph listened, amazed that Lester told her so much. In fact, he had just said more consecutive sentences to her than he ever had in all the time she's known him. She still had hold of his hand and she squeezed it. But there was more. " Look, the guys know if they want to see a shrink, they can go to a VA hospital, or better yet, see one through Rangeman insurance. If they want to go, they'll go. But I highly doubt any of them will. "

Steph didn't like that answer, but it told her a lot about the guys' point of view. It also made her sad that they had suffered through so many terrible things and couldn't even talk about them for fear of reliving them again. She met Lester's eyes, her own filmed in unshed tears. " I guess I understand that", she said. But she couldn't let it go at that.

" I obviously am not a shrink, but I am your friend and I love you. Bobby, too. If you decide you want to tell someone about any of it, I am here and I want to listen. " Lester gave her one of his gorgeous smiles.

"Ranger is a lucky guy to have you, sweetie. I love you too and I appreciate the offer. I'll keep it in mind." He stood up and hugged her tightly for a moment. Then the smartass Lester was back. "Enough of this Kumbayah shit, how about if I show you how to shoot this really badass rifle."

Bobby came back to the conference room door, holding a Coke and a Diet Coke that he bought at the 7-11 next door. Women always wanted the Diet stuff. Bobby looked through the blinds, and saw that Cathy had composed herself, so he went back in.

He put the soda down in front of her. " I figured you might need something to drink after all that talking." She didn't say anything. Fuck. Bobby needed to know what the hell was going on. He sat in the chair next to her and took her hand. "Cathy, honey, I think you know how much I care about you and I want to help you. " She started to speak but he didn't give her time. " I was outside and I heard part of your conversation through the door. Enough to know that someone is bothering you. Someone youa re afraid of. " Bobby stopped to consider the irony that Cathy was probably scared of him now, as well.

"I'm sorry I scared you with the dream. Next time you can come to my place. " She had been looking down at the carpet, but he gently took her chin and tilted her head up to look in his eyes. They were such a soft, chocolate brown, and warm. "But I hope you know that I would never hurt you. I won't let anyone else hurt you either."

Cathy's eyes were riveted on his, pulled in by the warmth in them. " He hasn't hurt me," she said. And Bobby could tell there was an unspoken 'yet." She corrected herself, "Well, I should say he hasn't hurt me again." Bobby's eyes went molten at the implication that someone had hurt her in the past. He felt rage rushing through him , and he worked to keep his voice and body calm.

"Who hurt you?" he asked, in a quiet voice that seethed with barely controlled anger. Cathy knew how protective Bobby was. She knew that he wasn't going to stop until she had told him what he wanted to know. " My ex-boyfriend, Scott. He hit me, and then I broke up with him. " Bobby's voice wavered, the control slipping a bit and some of the anger getting through. " Where did he hit you?, he asked. " Not that it matters. Fucker shouldn't have touched you at all."

Cathy took a deep breath. " We had an argument and he punched me in the face. Hard enough to leave a pretty bad bruise. I left him immediately. That was almost a year ago."

"And that was him on the phone?" Bobby asked. " What did he say to make you so upset?" Bobby's hands held hers gently, but Cathy could feel the barely controlled tenseness of his muscles. " he started calling me about a week ago. I haven't answered but he's left about 12 voicemails. " Her control slipped and tears once again escaped her eyes. " He say he wants me back and he's going to get me back and he'll come for me… Each message ws a little angrier than the rest. I actually answered one and told him never to call me ever again and to leave me alone, but he hasn't stopped. I am getting kind of scared."

By now she was crying and it broke Bobby's heart. At least this was something he could, and would fix for her. He wiped some of the tears from her face with his thumb, but when they came too fast for that, he got up and brought her tissues. He put his arm around her and held her to his chest for a few minutes until she stopped crying. " Honey, I am not going to let anyone hurt you." Including myself, he thought.

" How about if I take you down to the courthouse and get a restraining order against him, so he can be arrested if he comes anywhere near you." Cathy sniffed and dried her eyes. "They don't always work. People don't obey them., " she said. Bobby was well aware of that, but this Scott fucker would be too scare to come anywhere near Cathy when Bobby got done with him. "Yeah, but lets get one anyway. Honey, am not going to let anyone scare you or hurt you. Do you understand?" Cathy just sniffed, still getting over her tears. " Say, yes, Bobby, I understand that I don't have to be scared of Scott or anyone else because you won't let anyone hurt me," he prompted her. She started to repeat it, but started to laugh halfway through.

Bobby stood, pulling her up next to him. He was pleased that he had found out about her problem, and taken the heat away from his.,He was in love with Cathy, and he knew it, and he didn't want to do anything to mess it up with this wonderful woman. But he also didn't want to deal with those dreams unless he absolutely had to. Maybe not even then. He linked his fingers with hers as he led her out of the conference room.

He stopped when the hand holding hers came up short. And let Cathy pull him back toward the conference table. She was too smart to let the subject of his dreams drop. It was why she had risked coming here. "Thanks Bobby, I care about you too and I trust you to protect me. I know you don't think you need it, but I want to protect you too. From yourself. " Bobby was starting to turn away, knowing where this was going. She pulled his chin back toward her and he let her. "Bobby, I know you are dead set against seeing a professional about your dreams, but would you please at least consider it? " She upped the ante. "For me?"

She looked Bobby straight in the eyes and he knew he was totally screwed. He would do anything for her, but how could he do this? Her head was tilted upwards, and he lowered his head to gently take her mouth. He deepened it to a gentle kiss, wrapping his arms around her. He never wanted to stop kissing her, but he knew the guys were probably watching through the gaps between the blinds.

Reluctantly, he broke off the kiss, but he didn't want to let go of her, so he kept his arm around her.

" I will consider it.", he choked out. She gave him a look. " I promise I will CONSIDER it." He said, putting emphasis on the "consider." That was enough for Cathy right now. She kissed him hard and then they walked out of the conference room hand in hand.


	11. Chapter 11

Bobby meets His Match- Chapter 11

_Sorry it has been a long time, but I am getting back into the groove. This chapter is half story, half smut. Please leave feedback, as I live for it._

**WARNING: This chapter contains graphic smut. Read at your own risk. **

Bobby chased the skip that had gotten past him. How the fuck had that happened? Chico Alvarez was fast, but he didn't get very far before Bobby tackled him, then pinned him to the ground and cuffed his arms tightly behind him. As Bobby was getting up, Lester came running from the back of the building to assist, breaking into laughter when he saw him.

Bobby looked down to see what Lester was laughing at and saw that his pristine black pants and tight Rangeman t-shirt were now covered in dust and dirt. That pissed him off. You couldn't look like a badass if you were covered in mud. Fucking skip. He brushed what dust and dirt he could from his clothes while Lester took Alvarez to the SUV.

" Are you trying to compete with Steph in the getting filthy department?" Lester taunted him good-nauturedly. "Cause I don't think you'll win. She's way ahead of you." Lester looked at Bobby to see if his teasing got the desired reaction. "Of course, if you had been paying attention to the skip instead of daydreaming you wouldn't have had to roll in the dirt with him." Lester continued. "If you are going to be so careless all the time, I'm going to request Binkie for a new partner.

"Shut the fuck up," Bobby said, knowing Lester was right. He had been thinking about Cathy and not paying attention to the skip.

" Hey, I hurt my arm, man, I think you broke my arm," Alvarez was shouting from the back seat. Lester turned around and gave him a glare. "If you don't shut the hell up, more than your arm will be broken." He raised the partition between the front of the SUV and the skip area in the back.

Lester looked sidelong at Bobby, who was still preoccupied with his dusty uniform. "I saw Cathy at the office waiting for you. And now you are all daydreamy, like a chick. Can I assume that things went well and your issue is no longer an issue?" Bobby turned, his mirrored shades reflecting Lester's shape back at him, and sighed.

"No, its still an issue. Just not in the way I thought it would be."

Lester didn't usually talk about this kind of stuff with another guy, hell, with anyone. But he loved Bobby like a brother, closer than a brother. "So she's not upset about your dream? You can still do the horizontal mambo?" Lester asked.

" She is upset, but not enough to decide not to see me again. Now can we just go get the body receipt for this asshole?"

They drove Alvarez to the cop shop and Bobby pulled him out the back. "Hey, man, don't you have to take me to the hospital for my arm? Cops gotta do that. I know my rights." Alvarez whined. We don't have to do shit for you. We can even beat the living shit out of you, as long as we bring you in alive, so quit whining." Lester told him. Bobby glared at Alvarez. "Well, we could have taken you , but you made me get my uniform dirty, asshole."

Bobby got behind the wheel of the SUV and tossed Lester a file. " This guy is Cathy's Ex. Only he won't leave her alone." No further words were needed. Lester smiled at the thought of kicking some ass.

Bobby parked the SUV across the street from a generic brick building in the business district. He watched as a sportscar parked in front of the building, and a guy who was built like a football player got out. The man fit the photo in the file. It was Scott Anders. Bobby's eyes narrowed beneath his shades. This fucker was big and probably thought he was tough and could push women around. Lets see how the pansy ass coward wet his pants when faced with someone his own size. Bobby suddenly lept out of the SUV and walked quickly towards the man.

Lester knew Bobby well enough to know that he'd better go and keep Bobby from killing the guy. Because Bobby was a medic, people tended to forget that he was also an ex-SEAL and he could be a dangerous motherfucker when he wanted to be. He was NOT someone you wanted as an enemy. Bobby could shoot a sniper rifle as well as he could start an IV, and he had no compunction about killing someone if he had to. And from the look on his face, Bobby wanted to kill this Scott asshole.

Bobby drew himself up to his full height, as he rapidly approached the man. This asshole was big, but Bobby was just as big and solid muscle. He approached the man and asked, "Are you Scott Anders?" Scott smiled a smarmy smile and said, "Yes, who are you."

Before Lester even realized it, Bobby had the guy up against the brick wall of the building. The guy was making some crybaby noises about calling the cops. Bobby strained his biceps making his hugemuscles stand out and stood upright so that his gun was evident,. He got right in the guy's face. " Do I fucking look like someone who is scared of the cops? " He threw a piece of paper at Scott. "Cathy Jurgens got a restraining order against you. You cannot legally come within 500 feet of her." Scott looked scared, but was trying to hide it. He looked pleadingly at Lester. "hey, you . Do you know this guy? Get him off me .." Lester made a mock scared face. " No fucking way, dude. I'm not messing with him when he gets like this. You 're on your own."

Bobby got in the guy's face. " But I am telling you, you will not be in the same room as she is, you will not look at her, call her, you will not say her name, you will not even think of her. You will never have any contact with her again, because I will know. As far as you are concerned, she no longer exists."' Bobby flexed his NAVY SEAL tattoo. "See this? ," he said, pointing to the tattoo, "It means I know 100 ways I can kill you, each involving more pain than you can imagine. Do you fucking understand me , asshole?" Bobby pegged Scott with an aggressive look that left no doubt he would enjoy ripping Scott apart.. For a minute. Lester wasn't sure if he was going to have to pry Bobby off the guy. Scott swallowed visibly , then said, "yes," and nodded his head. "You will not get another warning." Bobby slowly turned and left Scott trembling against the wall.

Cathy was glad she had taken the risk to go to Rangeman. She had cleared the air with Bobby, he agreed, to CONSIDER therapy, and he had gone with her to get a restraining order against Scott. He was coming over tonight after his shift for a quiet evening at home, hopefully screwing like bunnies. She had bought a whole box of extra large condoms just to be ready. She had also made some calls and gotten a few names of some good therapists, just in case. She wouldn't push Bobby about it. A guy like him probably didn't take well to being pushed. She didn't want to ruin what they had. She'd just have it available.

She had just finished her hair and her shower when the doorbell rang. She opened it and was met with Bobby's beautiful smile. Damn. That smile ought to be registered as a lethal weapon. She had thought of nothing but him for three days.

" Hey, you look gorgeous." He said, giving her a kiss. He held out a bag of take out Chinese. Cathy couldn't believe a guy as handsome as Bobby would find her attractive. He could have any woman he wanted, and she was amazed that he wanted her.

"Thanks for bringing this. I am so hungry." She took the bag to the kitchen and turned her back on him, arranging the contents on the table. Her hand froze in midair as Bobby pulled her hair to the side and his lips grazed her neck. He stood behind her and pulled her back to him, his lips kissed a trail from her neck to her collarbone. Bobby's hand came behind hers, taking the food from her hand and putting it on the table.

" I have wanted you for three days," he whispered huskily into her ear. He used his body to back her up against the kitchen wall, his mouth covering hers. While his tongue dueled with her, his hands slid under her shirt and before she knew it both their shirts were s gone. Bobby ran his hands over the soft satin and lace of her bra his fingers toying with her nipples through it. Then it was gone and her breasts were spilling out. Bobby wasn't being sweet gentle Bobby like he was the other night. This was aggressive, dominant, alpha-male Bobby , going after what he wanted. He wasn't gentle, but he was careful not to be too rough. She ran her fingers and tongue over the muscles in his chest and his broad shoulders, and heard him groan. His massive biceps pulled her onto her toes as his mouth covered her breasts ."So perfect" he whispered as he bent and captured her breast in his mouth. His hand had skimmed its way down her abs and when his fingers reached her clit, her knees buckled. She could only gasp, as his massive arm wrapped around her taking her weight and holding her against him and she heard him growl when she wrapped her legs around him.

She ran her hands down his shoulders and chest, her fingers playing in his hair. She felt him shudder as she ran her tongue from his neck to his shoulder. She wanted to tell him how sexy his rippled chest and shoulders were, but she couldn't talk, she couldn't think, it was all she could do to keep breathing. This was dominant Bobby, in control and she surrendered to him. Not that she had any choice. His fingers and mouth were totally controlling her, she could only gasp and cling to him, her fingers in his hair, her lips on his neck as his fingers and mouth took her to the brink of orgasm, then backed off, and then back, building the pleasure by not letting her go over. She felt she was going to burst from the unreleased pressure. "Please, Bobby, please," she begged, and he finally relented. His massive arm was trembling with holding her to him and she stiffened and writhed in his arms as he took her scream in his mouth as his fingers finally plunged her into orgasm. He backed her against the wall again, balanced her there while he grabbed a condom from his pocket. He pushed her against the wall as he entered her with one huge thrust. She grabbed his ass and pulled him against her, taking him deeper and she heard him gasp in pleasure. He pushed her against the wall as he thrust into her over and over. He gave one final thrust , yelling as he took them over the edge.

When the orgasm sensation ebbed, Bobby was pressed against her, his body still throbbing, holding her to the wall. For a moment the only sound was their gasping as they worked to catch their breath.

Bobby came to his senses first. He tenderly kissed her shoulder and whispered, "That was amazing. What's for dessert?"


	12. Chapter 12

Bobby meets His Match- Chapter 12

_Hey, two chapters in two days. i am on a roll. Please leave feedback, as I live for it._

Bobby eyes popped open as he awoke with a jerk and a gasp. He was covered in a cold sweat. He struggled to calm his breathing as he realized that he wasn't in the mountains of Afghanistan again. The mountain he was gripping was the soft body of the woman he loved. His head was cradled between her luscious breasts. The thumping of the machine gun was just the soft, steady cadence of her heart. He was safe. It had only been a dream. He realized he had his arms around her waist and was gripping her tightly, like a drowning man would a life preserver. He knew he was holding her too tightly, but he couldn't make himself let go, or even loosen his hold. Her soft warmth reassured him that he was safe in a quiet bed, instead of the cold hellish world he had relived in his dream. Fuck. Another of those goddamn dreams. At least he hadn't tried to kill her this time. This was why he didn't want goddamned therapy for his dreams. He hadn't consciously thought of them for ages, now that he was constantly thinking about it they were getting worse. This is why what was in the past should be left in the past.

He lay there, in the quiet darkness, his head in the valley between her breasts, wondering why this incredible woman wanted to be with him. He wanted to give her whatever she wanted. He knew he might lose her if he didn't agree to therapy, and she had every right to want that. Hell, he'd almost killed her once before from the remnants of a dream. But he didn't know if he could handle therapy. He had survived three tours in Spec Ops in a war zone by squelching down those memories, the thoughts, the fears he'd had into a deep place where he didn't have to deal with them. He'd need to do that so he could function.

If the horrible things relegated to his subconscious became part of his consciousness, could he handle it? He wasn't sure he could survive that again and remain sane. Would he still be a man she could love? If he dealt with the dreams, would it change him? Would she want to know what had happened over there? He had done some horrible things, but he wasn't ashamed of them, they needed to be done. If he were in the same situation again, he would do the exact same things again. But he wasn't sure she would understand that her sweet, gently Bobby could also be a killer. That was a side of him he didn't want her to ever know about. This was why he hadn't ever wanted relationships with women. They twisted you up like this.

Bobby lay pillowed between her soft breasts, and his fingers wandered down between her legs. She was so sexy, he wanted her again. He didn't think he would ever stop wanting her. His fingers toyed gently with her clit, and he heard her breathing hitch, and then she moaned softly in her sleep. Bobby grinned, wanting to orgasm her awake. He pulled himself up on his elbows and moved up to her face. She was asleep, her mouth slightly open, her auburn hair disheveled and so fucking sexy. Bobby's fingers continued to play with her and body writhed, a tiny grin on her face as if she were having a dream. About him. The soft little sounds she was making were driving him crazy. He leaned down, and took her lower lip between his, his mouth gently kissing her awake, as his fingers coaxed her from sleep to orgasm.

The illuminated numbers on Cathy's alarm clock kept the room from total darkness. It was 6am, and Cathy lay, exhausted, relaxed, having been thoroughly pleasured yet again by the insatiable man next to her. He had been sweet, passionate, gentle, but there had also been an edge to his lovemaking. She lay with her head on his chest, absently toying with his chest hairs. "Bobby, what's wrong?" she asked him. "Did you have another dream?" He just lay there, stroking his fingers through her hair, but didn't answer. He really didn't want to talk about this. He was feeling very pressured. Fuck. It was the huge elephant in the room, and he wanted to avoid it. But he'd never been a coward, and he wsn't going to start now. So he confronted it.

"Cathy, I really care about you and I don't want to lose you. But I don't know… there are parts of me, sides of my personality that you wouldn't like. I mean, I've done things,..bad things.." Yeah, like when I threatened to beat the living shit out of your ex if he came near you again, he thought. But he hadn't told her about that. She didn't need to know. He didn't want her to know. Just as long as the fucker left her alone. " I don't want you anywhere near that ugliness. But if I, well, if some of that stuff came up from the past…I don' t want to be someone who scares you.."

Cathy picked up his hand and toyed with it. " Bobby, I'm not naive. You were in Spec Ops for three tours, so I know you've seen and had to do some bad things. I am sure you've had to kill. Probably more than once. No, I don't want to know how many. I know you were trained to be good at killing." She stopped and kissed the palm of his hand, making him shiver. "But I also know that you are strong, loving, gentle, caring, and you will do anything to protect what you love, weather that is your country, your teammates, your friends… I would never hate you or be scared of you because I know you will never hurt me, and you will protect me . I know that whoever you killed needed to be killed and that whatever horrible things you did, you did to protect others, because you are a good man," she said, kissing his chest. I just don't want you to have to live with that terror forever. But you told me you'd consider therapy, so I will not pester you or nag you about it.

" But" she said, trying to lighten the mood, " if last night's "dinner" was a sample of strong, badass Bobby, I say bring it on."

She was still quivering from Bobby's last lovemaking. That man was insatiable. The large box of condoms she had just bought was almost halfway empty, and at this rate the rest wouldn't last very long. Bobby had kissed her long and hard before he'd left to go to work. It was Saturday and he had the early shift, meaning he'd have the night off. After he'd left, she'd spent another two hours in bed, curled up in sheets covered with Bobby's scent, dozing.

Now she put on her bikini , determined not to ruin this languorous mood with the usual paperwork she caught up with on Saturdays. No, today she was going to the pool. The apartment complex pool was just a short way from her apartment; she could see from here that there was no one there yet. She never went, she was always too busy. But today she was going to spend most of the day relaxing and enjoying the sun. After all, the restraining order took care of Scott, Bobby had just loved her senseless, and she didn't have a project due for another week. She was going to enjoy the lack of stress. She always hated putting on her sapphire blue bikini, though. Her breasts were too small and her hips were too big. But then she smiled as she remembered how Bobby had practically worshipped her breasts, and he loved her curves.

Cathy chose one of the metal chaise lounge pool chairs in the sunny spot near the deep end. She laid her towel across the chair and set out all the stuff she had brought. The water glistened in the sunlight and she couldn't resist diving right in. She surfaced quickly, shocked at how much colder the pool was then she had remembered. She swam around a bit, and floated on her back, staring up at the wispy clouds. The pool was nice and quiet. Usually there were kids screaming everywhere, but today she had it all to herself. It wasn't up to her to question why. After a few minutes, she got out of the cold water and started to put sunscreen on. She imagined it was Bobby rubbing it on for her. She took a sip of the margarita she had brought, and sat down, pulling her giant white sunglasses over her eyes. She put in her IPOD and took out the novel that she had been reading forever. She started to read, but the sun was so relaxing that she didn't even want to hold the book. She just lay there, closed her eyes, basked in the warmth of the sun, and thought of Bobby.

She felt the temperature change as something blocked the sun , putting her in shadow. She opened one eye, then just about lept out of the chair, her IPOD falling out of her ears. The sun had been clocked by a very big person. Scott Anders was standing right in front of her.

Bobby and Lester dragged Tony Remudo into the cop shop. He had been bailed out for robbery and domestic violence. The dragged him because he had a sprained ankle and what looked like a dislocated shoulder. The cop behind the counter took one look at the skip, shook his head, and then grinned at the two men in black. "Lemme guess," he said. "This one accidentally tripped down the stairs, too," he laughed. Lester didn't even crack a grin, "well, we can't help it if all our skips are fucking clumsy."

"Yeah," Bobby added, "asshole shouldn't have tried to run. At least we took this one to get him bandaged up first. "

Bobby and Lester went to Pino's to grab a sub for lunch. Lester flashed his killer smile and deep brown eyes at the new waitress, flirted with her mercilessly, and got her number as they left.

Bobby gave him a reproving look as he drove them back towards Rangeman.

"What?, Didn't you see the rack on her? Holy shit, a man could suffocate in those." Lester asked. "Why should you be the only one getting laid?"

Bobby rolled his eyes under his mirrored shades. Fuck. Here it came.

"You ARE getting laid, right? I mean, after the whole dream thing was taken care of. I mean, it is, isn't it…taken care of…"

Bobby was silent for a moment, looking sidelong at Les.

He was embarrassed. Lester was his best friend, but neither of them really talked about this feelings hit. "Les, since you got back, have you ever, you know talked to someone, like a shrink?" Bobby asked, almost embarrassed.

"Fuck, no," Lester proclaimed. "What the hell good will that do? They are just dreams. You wake up and they are over. Why? Has Steph been pressuring you , too?"

"Steph mentioned it, but Cathy really wants me to …"see someone."

Lester gave him a horrified look.

"You aren't going to, are you? I mean, shrinks are for cowa…" he stopped himself, realizing what he had been about to say.

" I don't know. I know she really wants me too. After all, I did almost kill her. But how the hell can I talk about that shit? It only affects me in dreams now, if I start talking and thinking about it…"

"See, this is exactly why you should have taken my advice and just kept it to sex with Cathy. Once chicks get in a relationship, they start telling you to do shit…"

"Besides, I was a SEAL. We did a lot of covert Ops .Most of the missions I did over there never officially existed. Details are top fucking secret. I couldn't even talk about it if I wanted." Les knew all about that. He and Bobby had been on a few missions together.

"So, what are you going to do?"

"I told her I'd consider it. This was considering."

Bobby hadn't finished his sentence when Les's cell rang.

"Yo." He glanced quickly at Bobby, his grin suddenly turning into a scowl.

"How long?" Les asked, his voice suddenly tight. Helistened to the reply, then hung up.

He turned to Bobby.

"Yesterday, when you had that Scott asshole against the wall, making him shit his pants, I was busy putting a tracker on his car."

"Dude." Bobby was impressed. He hadn't thought of that.

"That fucker is a pansy ass and stupid. Hal just called. Ander's car has been parked outside Cathy's apartment building for 5 minutes now."

"FUCK!" Bobby yelled.

He grabbed his phone and tried to call her as he made a U-turn in the middle of the street and sped to Cathy's place. Her phone just rang and rang and Bobby's call went to voicemail.

Cathy jumped up, her eyes flying to the table to find her cellphone. Her heart sank as she remembered she'd left it charging in her apartment.

"What are you doing here? You can't be here? There is a restraining order." She tried to back away, but he was between her and the pool gate.

Scott grinned. How could she have ever thought that was a handsome grin? It was just smarmy.

"You think a fucking piece of paper is going to stop me? Fucking bitch. I won't get arrested. I know most of the circuit judges. My business contributes to their campaigns. No way would they arrest me."

Cathy was shaking form fear and adrenaline. She couldn't call Bobby or the cops.

" That Neanderthal you sent didn't scare me , either."

Cathy was just trying to figure out how to get past him, trying to see if there was a way she could climb the fence.

"What? What are you talking about?" She asked, confused.

"Big fucking guy. Looked me up at work .Threatening me with his NAVY SEAL tattoos, telling me he'd kill me painfully if I even thought your name. Fucking empty threats. He'd never do that."

Oh, sweet Bobby, she thought through the panic. "Yes, he would. She said. He was in the military and he was telling me about all the men he killed there. He told me he would kill you if you touched me."

"Help. Call the police," Cathy screamed, hoping someone in the complex would hear her and get help.

Scott hit her across the face. "Shut the fuck up, bitch."

Cathy tried to get past him, near the side of the pool. He grabbed her and shoved her, pushing her down hard.

Cathy felt herself fall onto the hard concrete, she tilted off balance and there was an instant of excruciating pain as her head hit the side of the pool. She was dizzy and her vision darkened as she felt herself fall into the cold water.


	13. Chapter 13

Bobby Meets His Match- Chapter 13

_Wow. My third chapter in three days. Please leave feedback, as I live for it. _

Bobby and Lester ran up to Cathy's apartment and pounded hard on the door.

"Cathy?" "its Bobby." He didn't wait long for a response before quickly picking the lock. He and Lester entered carefully but she wasn't anywhere. "Cathy?" What the hell? Where was she?

Bobby closed the apartment door behind them as they went back outside. "Are you sure they said he was…" Bobby stopped midsentence, his gaze suddenly stopped on something. Lester followed his gaze towards the pool, where they could see a redhead floating, facedown, blood in the water. "Fuck! Call 911 and get the medkit from the rig." Bobby's voice was actually trembling as he yelled orders to Lester while racing to the red haired form floating motionless in the water. He didn't bother with trying to find the opening to the pool gate, he didn't take off his shoes or his gun or his phone, he just hurdled himself up and over the four foot fence and dove into the pool , screaming, "Cathy!" Jesus Christ, he had to swim through blood to get to her, but he reached her in less than three seconds. Please God, was all he thought.

Bobby and turned her over, blood dripping from her head wound. She wasn't breathing. He grabbed her up, and swam to the edge, starting mouth to mouth right there in the water. Lester had come back with the kit, and he helped Bobby get her on the pool deck. Bobby reacted instinctively, his medic training kicking in. He rolled her carefully onto her side, trying to squeeze the water out of her lungs.

" Ambulance is on their way, " Lester told him, as Bobby rolled her over and covered her mouth with his, blowing into her. She didn't have a pulse. Shit. He couldn't think about this being the woman he loved. Had to be clinical. 'Get the bag valve mask out of there, and then try to stop the bleeding of the head wound," he told Lester. Bobby wasted no time putting his huge hands on her sternum and delivering hard, rapid compressions. He winced when he heard her ribs crack as he forced her chest down 3 ½ inches over and over. "sorry, baby, he whispered."

Lester put the bag valve mask over her mouth and squeezed it, delivering oxygen to her in rhythm with Bobby's compressions. No telling how long Cathy had been in the water. If she was without oxygen any longer than 5 minutes or so, this wasn't going to turn out well. This didn't look good, but he knew Bobby and he knew Bobby wouldn't give up. He wouldn't let her die.

Lester knew Bobby would be destroyed if she died, if he wasn't able to save her. She was the only woman Bobby had ever let himself fall in love with, the only one who loved him unconditionally. Lester wasn't religious, because he'd seen enough terrible shit to know that God could be a real bastard sometimes. But he prayed that Bobby could save her.

Bobby watched her face as he did compressions. On the outside, he was calm, methodical, he'd done this many times. But inside he was in a total fucking panic. . Fuck. This wasn't working. He knew that CPR alone wasn't going to get her back. He needed drugs, equipment. And who knew how much the head injury was affecting this.

Time was ticking here. "Fuck. Where the fuck is that ambulance?" , Bobby yelled, never letting up in his powerful thrusts. He wasn't going to let her die. Lester said, 'ERs only 5 minutes from here. We can take her ourselves instead of waiting for the ambulance."

Lester drove like a maniac, calling the ER so they would be ready and waiting for Cathy, while Bobby knelt in the back, hunched over her, working relentlessly on keeping her alive.

Lester met Steph and Ranger coming through the ICU doors. " What happened? How's Cathy? How's Bobby?" Questions spilled rapidly out of Steph's mouth, falling over each other.

Lester grinned slightly, despite the seriousness of the situation. " I haven't seen Bobby in medic mode for awhile, and I'd forgotten how fierce he is. If I am ever dying, he's the one I want working on me. He is fucking ferocious. Cathy apparently hit her head on the side of the pool and drowned when Scott pushed her in. Bobby and I did CPR for awhile, but Bobby knew she was going to need more than that, so instead of waiting for the ambulance we brought her here ourselves. Bobby took her into the ER, shouting orders, told the docs what drugs she needed and what to do, and wouldn't let them stop until they got her heart beating again. "

"Do we know anything about her condition?" Ranger asked.

"Well, I don't know if there will be any complications from the drowning, but they did surgery because she had brain swelling from the head injury. Plus, she is on a ventilator since she has a punctured lung from Bobby breaking her ribs."

"Why would Bobby break her ribs?" Steph asked, appalled. Lester gave her a weird look, as if she should know already. "CPR, properly done, is violent. You have to push hard on the chest and sometimes it breaks ribs," he explained. Steph shuddered, imagining Bobby's massive weight pushing down on Cathy's tiny chest.

"Anyway, we won't know for sure the extent of the damage until the swelling in her brain comes down. Right now she's in a coma, but the doc says that is to be expected. She just got out of surgery, and Bobby is in with her now.

Hal and Ram followed the beeping tracker to Ander's business. The sportscar was parked outside. "I can't believe that dumb fuck just came back here after he almost drowned Cathy. He didn't even try to hide out. He's either really fucking arrogant or really fucking stupid, Ram said. Ram took the back and Hal went in the front.

As soon as Ander's saw the man in black enter the building he freaked. This one was even bigger than the last one. He wasn't going to be humiliated again. He pulled a gun from his waistband and drew on Hal. Hal drew his Glock in disbelief. He couldn't believe the little shit would shoot him, but you never know what someone will do when they are desperate. "Put the gun down," Anders yelled at Hal. "No fucking way," Hal said as he slowly approached the man. He'd love to shoot the little bastard for drawing on him, but the little shit deserved more pain than a simple gunshot. Hal knew that Bobby would rip Anders to pieces, slowly and painfully. Just as Hal was in arms distance from Anders, the little coward dropped the gun and ran, only to run right into Ram.

Ram grabbed his gun, and then shoved him down and put his knew between Anders' shoulderblades to restrain him. As roughly as possible Ram cuffed him. " You have to read me my rights when you arrest me, " Anders whined. Ram smirked, causing a chill to go down Ander's spine. "Oh, we aren't the cops, and we aren't arresting you, but you are going to wish we were cops." He paused and pulled Anders up hard, smacking him into the wall. "A friend of ours gave you a warning that you failed to heed, and now, as much as I'd love to beat the shit out of you myself, I'm going to take you to him. And I believe he told you how good he is at causing pain."

************************8

Steph was shocked when she walked into the ICU. Cathy looked terrible. Her head was wrapped in a huge bandage and had something metal sticking out of it. Her forehead was swollen and bruised and she had a giant bruise in the shape of a handprint on her cheek. She was unconscious and had a huge tube in her mouth, her chest tightly bound with bandages, probably from the broken ribs. All around her monitors flashed and beeped and IVs dripped. She was pale and completely motionless, except for the rise and fall of her chest, in time with the ventilator.

Bobby sat next to her bed, looking a mess. His hair had dried plastered to his head, and his clothes were still damp and he smelled like chlorine from the pool. His beautiful brown eyes were bloodshot, and there were little worry lines on his handsome face.

He held Cathy's still hand, and kissed it, then held it to his chest, stroking it lightly with his thumb, as if he couldn't bear not to touch her. His thumb gently traced her face. " Hey, baby. It's Bobby. Its ok. You're safe. I'm right here. You are going to be ok", he whispered to her, over and over, trying to convince himself as well as her. Bobby's eyes frequently studied the lines and flashes on the monitors, and he checked the meds in Cathy's IV, and the settings on the ventilator tube. When the nurse came in to check her vitals, he watched her like a hawk and insisted on seeing Cathy's chart. It was as if he didn't trust anyone but himself to care for Cathy properly .

Bobby watched Cathy intently, unaware there was anyone else in the room. The adrenaline that had been coursing through his system since he first found Cathy was giving way to exhaustion. He stroked her hand and stared as the ventilator made her bruised chest rise and fall. He flashed back on when he'd found her, how he had been terrified that he had lost her. That he had failed her, just as he had all had failed his men that died in the missions he'd fought. Except there was no way he'd let her die.

He touched the hand shaped bruise Anders had left on her face like a brand. Rage coursed through him, tensing his whole body, and he had to force the fingers touching her face to stay gentle. Anders had almost taken away the woman Bobby loved more than he had ever loved anything. And Bobby had almost let him. He didn't know if he was madder at himself or at Anders, but he was certain that fucker was going to die by his hand.

Steph watched Bobby's face as he looked down at Cathy. She had never seen that particular look on his face before. Gentleness, yes. She'd been Bobby's patient tons of times, and he was always tender and gentle. But not like this. There was something more in Bobby's face, more than worry, more than tenderness. It was actually vulnerability that she saw written all over Bobby's face, that he wasn't bothering to hide. This woman had gotten into his heart like no other woman had. She knew it was hurting him to see Cathy so helpless and weak, that he felt guilty for not protecting her. He looked like her pain was tearing him apart.

Steph walked over to Bobby and slowly touched his arm, not wanting to startle him. He looked up, smiled slightly at her, and hugged her briefly, before looking down at Cathy again. " Bobby, you look exhausted. Why don't you go shower and get some clean clothes and something to eat."

Ranger and Lester came into the space as Bobby was protesting. He didn't want to leave her. "Bobby," Steph continued." The doctor said she isn't going to wake up for awhile anyway. Why don't you get cleaned up and get something to eat. Ranger and I will stay with her. She won't be alone for a second. I promise." Bobby couldn't take his eyes off Cathy. "Make sure when the nurse comes in she checks the IV, and…" Steph cut him off. "Bobby, she'll be fine, " Steph insisted, pulling him gently away from her.

Bobby leaned down and carefully kissed Cathy's face. "Just rest , baby. I'll be right back. Steph will stay with you for awhile. I love you," he whispered. Steph felt embarrassed watching the tenderness in his eyes.

But then he looked up at Ranger and before her eyes, Bobby's face changed. The vulnerability, the tenderness that had been there seconds ago were gone, replaced with a look Steph was glad she'd never seen. His eyes had gone cold, his face hardened, and Steph was seeing the face of a man she'd never seen before. This was Bobby the trained soldier, the man who could and would not hesitate to kill whoever and whatever was a threat to him. His eyes met Ranger's equally cold ones questioningly. Ranger just nodded his head, spoken words unneeded. Bobby's body tensed and he moved lithely across the room. As he passed, Ranger nodded again and said, "whatever you want., and did that manly handshake thing." Bobby nodded and he and Lester left the room.

Steph was pretty sure Ranger had just given Bobby license to kill Anders.


	14. Chapter 14

Bobby Meets His Match- Chapter 14

_We get to see a different side of Bobby. Please leave feedback, as I live for it._

**WARNING: This chapter contains graphic scenes of violence and torture.**

Ranger had just given Bobby a license to kill Anders. Stephanie wanted to race after Bobby, to try to stop him, but she had promised Bobby she wouldn't leave Cathy alone. So she ran over to Ranger.

"Is he really going to do that? Kill Anders?" She asked in a loud whisper, just in case Cathy might be able to hear them.

Bobby was so tender and gentle, he was a medic, he took care of people, Steph couldn't imagine him purposely killing anyone. He wouldn't? Would he?

"Babe," Ranger answered both her spoken and unspoken questions, " Bobby may be a medic, but he's also an ex-SEAL. He has no problem killing when it needs to be done. He can be a mean SOB when he wants to be."

"But, stop him, whatever, he can't just…" Steph whispered again.

Ranger gave her that damn blankface. "Babe, it doesn't concern you. Leave it alone," in a quiet, authoritative voice.

Steph caught the warning this time, and realized that it was useless to argue any more with him. But how was it none of her business if her boyfriend/lover is an accessory to murder, and a guy she loved like a brother would be a killer?

She opened the door and saw Lester out there. No doubt Bobby had asked him to stand guard at Cathy's room. She grabbed Lester's arm.

" Lester, you know what Bobby's about to do, don't you?" she said. "Why don't you go? Stop him?"

Lester had that same damn look on his face. " Steph, why would I stop him? Hell, I'd love to help him, but he asked me to stay here .See what that fucker did to Cathy?" Lester's face hardened. He'd never seen Bobby as frantic and in pain as when he pulled her out of the water, when he thought he'd lost her. "I hope Bobby kills him painfully."

Steph sighed. She realized it was not a battle she would win. One thing about Ranger and the guys, they had their own code of ethics that didn't always agree with the actual law. If they felt someone deserved to die, well then, they would take them out. She was pretty sure that Ranger had killed Abruzzi for her in the past. Bobby had given Anders a warning to stay away from Cathy. Anders had been too stupid to obey it, and had almost killed Cathy. Well, actually, he HAD killed her. IF Bobby and Lester hadn't been so relentless, well, they'd be at a funeral now instead of the hospital. Now according to their code, Anders dies. It was very black and white to them.

The problem was, their code conflicted with the law. Bobby could go to jail for murder, and Ranger and Lester for being accessories.

Steph stepped back into the room. Ranger was sitting in a chair, facing the window, looking out, as if he couldn't bear to look at Cathy. Steph sat next to the bed and took her hand. She leaned down near Cathy's face. Damn. She looked horrible. Stephanie had been beat up many times, but never this bad. She could only imagine how much it would hurt. With all the meds in her IVs, hopefully Cathy wasn't in pain now. "Cathy? Its Stephanie, Bobby's friend? I don't know if you can hear me, but Bobby will be back soon. He went to go, uh, get something to eat. He said he loves you and he wants you to just rest." There was no response, no indication that Cathy had heard or understood her. The absolute quiet of the room was broken only by the beeping of the monitors and the soft swishing of the ventilator, as Steph sat, worrying about those she loved.

Bobby entered the subbasement at Rangeman. Very few people even knew this area existed. It was where Rangemen held its prisoners from government contract's "interrogations." There were a few holding cells down there, just regular jail cells, bunks but no toilets. Outside the cells was a small room with two chairs and a heavy rectangular table. As Bobby entered, he could hear a man's loud wailing.

"Shut the fuck up, you asshole, or I'll beat the shit out of you now," , Ram's voice carried to the elevator. Ram was sitting at the long table, playing Solitaire with an old deck of cards. He stood up when he saw Bobby. " Little fucker has been crying like a candy ass since we brought him here, I had to gag him cause he was giving me a fucking headache." Ram gestured toward the cell, where Scott Anders sat, hunched in the corner. Ander's hands were tied behind him and his feet were bound, and he was angry. Just angry. He was too stupid to be scared. But that would change.

When Anders saw Bobby he started to scream. "aauuoooanteepmeinherr" his voice muffled through the gag. Bobby looked over at the little shit, then turned to Ram questioningly, his eyes cold. Ram met his eyes and knew what Bobby was about to do. "Want me to stay? " he asked.

"No, but I might need help with disposal."

" The Narrows?" Bobby nodded.

"I'll set up the truck." Ram said, and left.

Bobby stared as Anders, who was sniveling and yelling through the gag. Bobby just sat, staring at Anders. Sometimes the worst part of torture for the tortured was waiting- anticipating, what would happen to them. The cell next to the one Anders was in had tarps and plastic sheeting on the floor and walls- it made cleanup easier.

Bobby put on latex gloves so that he wouldn't leave fingerprints. He entered the cell where Anders was cowering, grabbed him by the arm and threw him into the other cell. "Do you remember me, fuckhead? I gave you a warning that you ignored." Anders was wimpering from the gag. "Idinnameanfor her to fall in?" he managed to blurt form behind the gag.

" But you left her there. You didn't go in to get her, you didn't call 911. You just left the woman I love to drown." With each word, Bobby was pounding on Ander's head, throwing him against the brick walls. Bobby's mind flashed back to finding Cathy face down in the pool, and the terror he felt then manifested itself as anger now.

Blood was flowing from Ander's head. Bobby left him cowering in the cell and he walked out to the table. Bobby kicked out one of the table legs so that one end of the table fell to the ground and the table was slanted heavily. He grabbed Anders and dragged him over to the table. He grabbed Ander's shirt, looking him straight in the eyes. "See , fucker, usually you use torture to get information from soldiers. Give up the info and the pain stops. I don't want info from you. You are getting tortured just to bring you pain. Nothing will stop your torture until you die." As he said this, Bobby dragged Anders onto the table with his head down and his feet in the air, tying his hands and feet to the table.

Waterboarding was a torture method used on terrorists to get information. It was very effective because it scared the shit out of the mind. It is psychological terror because it make you feel as if you are drowning. CIA operatives get waterboarded during training and most last about 14 seconds. Bobby had been waterboarded as part of his SEAL training. He'd lasted 37 seconds. Anders was screaming around the gag and Bobby stuffed it in tighter, then covered his face with a cloth. Bobby was going to let Anders know how it felt to drown. "You drowned her, now I'm drowning you, fucker." Bobby yelled, and began pouring a huge bucket of water over Ander's cellophaned face. Anders struggled and tried to get away, but he couldn't. The sensation was a feeling of being sucked under waves, and Bobby knew how terrifying it was. "You like that, fucker. Like how it feels to drown?" Anders was trying to scream, and his body was jerking , trying to get away. It was only 25 seconds before Bobby ran out of water, but Anders was mewling pitifully.

Bobby took the cellophane off his face, dragged him back into the cell with the tarpaulins and beat the shit out of him. Bobby twisted Ander's wrist backwards and then threw his weight onto Ander's upper arm. Anders screamed as the arm bone broke. Anders was trying to scream' Help!" "Scream all you want, fucker. No one will hear you, and if they did they wouldn't care." Bobby proceeded to pound and punch Anders, in the abdomen, bend back his fingers and break bones. The human body has 206 bones, but Bobby was snapping Anders so that soon he'd have 412. He pounded Anders mercilessly, ignoring the weakening screams as he broke every bone in Anders body. All he could think about was finding Cathy face down in the pool, and the anger that he hadn't protected her from him.

Bobby was beating on Anders, who had long since stopped screaming, and was now covered in blood. Bobby was covered in blood- Ander's. He was about to give the killing blow, Smashing Anders face up against the wall, when suddenly Cathy's face popped into his mind and he heard her say, " _" I know you are a good man, Bobby." _

Bobby dropped Ander's head like it was on fire and took a step back , hunched over, gasping. He was sweating with range and his hands were shaking with his anger. The innate instinct to kill Anders for what he had done to Cathy warred in his head with Cathy's words. She accepted him as he was, in spite of the bad things he'd done, but he suddenly knew she wouldn't want him to kill for her.

He staggered back over to Anders, who was barely conscious. He knew Anders was going to die from the massive trauma Bobby had given him, but Bobby wouldn't actually kill him. He went over to Anders, who was unconscious and whispered, " The only reason I am not killing you now is because she wouldn't want me to, fucker."

Bobby called Ram, who came into the room. " Holy Shit," Ram exclaimed when he saw the blood everywhere. "Remind me never to get you pissed at me."

"is he dead yet?" Ram asked. " No, I am not going to kill him. Cathy wouldn't want me to." Ram raised and eyebrow, but said nothing.

Bobby rolled Anders into the tarp. He and Ram rolled up the tarp and carried it out to the truck.

Bobby went to get into the truck, but Ram stopped him.

"You need to go be with her , now." He pulled Bobby out of the truck.

"I'll take care of dumping him. You go be with Cathy."

"Are you sure ? Bobby asked, Ram would be getting seriously involved and if anyone saw him dump the body...

"Go. Man, I'll dump him down the cliff and wait until he's dead."

"Thanks, man," Bobby said, as he ran into Rangeman to shower and get back to Cathy. That fucker Anders would be dead, but technically, Bobby hadn't killed him. He knew Ram would dump the body over the cliff, and wait until Anders was dead. There would be no connection between Rangeman, Bobby and Anders.

Bobby met Ranger's gaze in the ICU and nodded slightly, communicating cryptically with Ranger that Anders was, or soon would be, dead. Bobby went over to Cathy's bed, waking Steph, who had fallen asleep. Steph stood up and threw herself into Bobby's arms. She didn't know what to ask." Are you? Did you?" He hugged her slightly. "Its taken care of, Steph. Its ok." She noticed that the cold, hardened look was gone from his face, replaced again by the worry and tenderness as he looked at Cathy.

His attention focused on Cathy again, and he did his careful checking of the bouncing lines on the monitors and her IV. 'The nurse came in and checked her vitals and said she was the same." Bobby nodded, his inspection of the monitors confirming that.

'Thanks for staying with her, Steph," Bobby said, hugging her again. Steph was worried. Bobby had just killed someone. "Are you ok?" she asked. Bobby just nodded and sat next to Cathy's bed. Ranger and Steph left him alone with Cathy.

Bobby sat next to her, his huge hand holding her smaller one. He held her hand close to his chest and leaned over to kiss her. "Hey, baby. I'm back. Everything's going to be ok. Just rest. I love you." He sat , his head next to hers on the bed, until the beeping and swishing of the machines, telling him that his woman was alive, lulled him to sleep.


	15. Chapter 15

Bobby Meets His Match- Chapter 15

_This chapter is not action packed like the last one. Its sweeter. Please leave reviews, as I live for them._

Bobby had been sitting next to Cathy's bed for two days now, accompanied only by the beeping and whirring of the machines. The CAT scan showed that the swelling in her brain was starting to come down, and there was no evidence of any permanent brain damage from lack of oxygen. According to the doc, she should be coming out of the coma within the next day or so. Bobby kissed her hand, blurry from the unshed tears in his eyes. She was such a fighter. He was angry with himself for putting her in a situation where she had to fight for her life. He should have done a better job of protecting her.

The TV was on, with the sound down, but he grabbed the remote when a news item caught his eye. The words BODY FOUND IN NARROWS were on the screen. He scrambled for the remote and turned up the volume just loud enough so he could hear it. He sure as hell didn't want Cathy hearing it.

The bleached-blonde newscaster smiled and said,

"_Breaking news- A body was found this morning at the bottom of a steep 40 foot cliff in the Narrows. The partially decomposed body was found by hikers out for a morning hike. It has been identified as local businessman Scott Anders. The body had severe trauma including many broken bones and head injuries. It is believed that Anders was hiking in the Narrows when he fell off the cliff and sustained the severe trauma. Anders was not an experienced hiker. Police will be investigating, although there do not appear to be any signs of foul play._

Bobby smiled and muted the sound again. He owed Ram a big one for doing such a great job setting it up to look like an accident. He breathed a sigh of relief that Anders was dead and could never bother Cathy again. He was also glad that Anders had not technically died by his hand. Now he could honestly tell Cathy that he hadn't killed Anders. Anders had either gotten the fatal blow when Ram rolled him down the cliff, or he'd been alive and bled to death at the bottom. Bobby hoped the asshole had laid there for hours bleeding to death, since that was more painful.

Bobby's ruminating was interrupted by the increasingly rapid beeping of the heart monitor. He turned to see Cathy writhing, her arms trying to grab the tube out of her mouth. Bobby ran over and gently grabbed her hands. " No honey, don't touch that," he whispered, trying to pull her hands away from the tube. She was still unconscious, but maybe she was having a bad dream or something? She started to fight him, and the more Bobby tried to gently restrain her, the harder she struggled. He was trying to soothe her, but she was getting more and more agitated. Bobby hadn't realized she had this much strength right now. "She's trying to pull out the tube" Bobby yelled into the intercom. Cathy was still fighting him –hard. This was killing him. He was trying to restrain her- keep her from pulling out the tube, without hurting her. He was trying not to bruise her wrists, but she fought him hard. "Shh..its ok, Cathy. You're ok, " he kept whispering to her. Finally, a nurse came in with a syringe and gave her an injection. Finally, he heard the monitor slow its frantic beeping. He felt her arms go limp under his, he relaxed his hold.

She was out again. Bobby checked the monitor to make sure that it was back to a slow, steady beeping, and rubbed Cathy's now limp wrists, where little blue spots were already forming. Fuck. Now she was going to have bruises on her wrists from him to go with the fucking broken ribs that he'd given her." "What was that all about?" Bobby asked the nurse, who was making sure the tube was still in place correctly.

'Actually, that is a good sign. It means she's coming around. It is very common in coma patients. She's coming out of the coma, and the last thing she remembered was probably being hurt. Now there is this uncomfortable thing in her mouth and she thinks that is what's making her hurt, so she tries to pull it out." Bobby hated the thought that Cathy might be reliving the assault and the drowning in her coma.

" What do I do?" Bobby really hadn't had much experience with this. The nurse took her vitals again and made a notation on her chart. " That was a short term sedative. She should start waking up again in a few hours." As soon as she starts to show signs of coming around, talk to her. Tell her about the tube."

Bobby settled down again by Cathy's side, holding her hand once again. He ran his fingers over the bruises he'd left on her wrists. He sure as fuck hadn't done a very good job of protecting her.

His mind focused on his inability to protect her from Anders. Just as he had been unable to protect and save his teammates in battle. Fuck. Why was he thinking about that right now? He didn't have time or energy to deal with the memories now. And he was pissed that the memories were going beyond nightmares, and intruding on his consciousness as well.

After about an hour, the heart monitor started to speed up in accordance with Cathy's slight movements. Bobby leaned over her. "Shhh… Cathy, honey, its Bobby. You 're ok. There is a tube in your mouth helping you breathe. Leave it there. Its ok." Bobby just repeated the words over and over, and they seemed to soothe her, and she quit trying to reach for the tube. Her eyelids were fluttering and Bobby hoped she was going to wake up. " Hey, honey, come back to me. Open your eyes," he whispered to her, stroking her hand. "Come on, baby. I need to see those eyes." He whispered to her. Finally, her eyelids fluttered and Bobby was relieved to look down into the beautiful green eyes he had never thought he would see again. He smiled and kissed her. " Welcome back, baby."

Cathy realized there were constantly beeping monitors all around her. Bobby kept looking at those monitors, as if he was afraid to take his eyes off them. He had stayed with her, he'd watched carefully as the docs removed the tube, making sure they were doing it the right way. Cathy took a deep breath, which hurt, but at least she didn't have that damn tube in her mouth anymore . She tried to talk, but her throat hurt and she couldn't make more than a squeak. Bobby had called the nurse, and within a few minutes, he was carefully putting small ice chips in her mouth. She had something big and bulky, apparently a large bandage on her head, and it hurt to even breathe. She must look like hell. She didn't want Bobby to see her looking terrible like this."Bobby?" she finally croaked out. He stroked her face. "its ok, baby, " he whispered. He was looking at her with an intense look in his eyes, like she was a Christmas gift he never expected to receive. He stroked her hand, and kissed her face, touching her so gently as if he were afraid to hurt her.

'What happened?" she asked, gasping with pain as she spoke. Bobby stroked her face. " What do you remember?" he asked gently. She grimaced, trying to make the memoires clear in her head. She started hesitantly, her speech slow and hoarse." I was at the pool, and I saw Scott. We argued, I got a really bad pain in my head, and that's it." She grabbed at the bandage on her head. That explained that. But why the hell did her chest hurt so badly. Why were they bandaged? She touched the heavy bandages on her chest, and looked questioningly at Bobby.

Shit, Bobby, thought. How the hell much did he tell her? He was going to have to tell her that HE broke her ribs, but he didn't want her to know that he was tracking Anders. He didn't want her to know anything about Anders, if he could help it. "Well, I stopped by with Les." He kissed her.

" I missed you and wanted to see if you wanted to go for lunch. We found you floating in the pool." His voice cracked and became shaky and the hand holding hers started to grip her tightly. " I got to you and you weren't breathing, so we did CPR, and in the process of doing it I …cracked your ribs…" he told her, his voice getting thick and tapering off. His eyes darkened and he said, " I was so..I didn't mean to hurt you."

She knew that Bobby hadn't hurt her on purpose but the guilty look on his face broke her heart. He'd saved her life, but the felt guilty that he'd cracked some ribs in the process? That was Bobby, always wanting to heal, not hurt. Cathy gripped his hand, and smiled. "Wow. My hero.". She caressed his hands, then froze. She took another halting, painful breath. " Oh my God, what about Scott. He violated the restraining order, so…"

Fuck. Bobby did NOT want to get into that. Not now. Hopefully never. He stopped her with a kiss. "Shhh…you don't have to worry about Scott. He won't hurt you anymore." He looked up at the monitors again, then down at her. " Why don't you get some rest now? Are you in pain?" Cathy nodded. Her ribs where really hurting, but she wasn't going to tell Bobby that, since he felt so guilty about breaking them.

The nurse came in at Bobby's request and put a painkiller in her IV. " here you go, Cathy. This should make you feel better. This and that man who hasn't left your side for three days. " The nurse winked at Bobby. " I hear he made quite a commotion in the ER when you came in. You are lucky to have him."Cathy smiled as she drifted off to sleep, her hand in Bobby's larger one. She WAS lucky to have him.

Bobby watched Cathy drift off to sleep, then gently kissed her forehead. His phone rang, and he quickly silenced it, not wanting to wake her. It was Rangeman. He drew his hand carefully from hers, and went just outside the door, keeping it open a crack so he could still see her.

"Yo."

"Yo, Santos. Got your call. What's up?"

"Dude, just a heads up. There were some cops here asking to talk to you about that fuckhead Anders. I told them you were unavailable and I wasn't sure when you'd be in."

Shit. On the news they said that Anders death was being considered an accident.

" I thought they were considering it an accident, but apparently they still have to do a small investigation to ensure there was no foul play. Apparently someone saw us when we threatened him that day." Lester continued.

"Dude, thanks for the heads up."

Lester was concerned. He was glad Bobby had killed that fuckhead and didn't want him taking the heat.

"Need anything, man?" Les asked.

Bobby had learned that you looked less suspicious if you volunteered to talk to cops. You could be guilty as hell, but if you talked to them first, it looked like you had nothing to hide. He figured it would be best if he contacted the cops, said he knew nothing about Anders death, and be done with it. If he didn't they might come to talk to Cathy, and there was no fucking way he was going to let that happen.

"Yeah, man. I'm gonna just go talk to them, like a good upstanding citizen." He paused a moment while he and Les chuckled at that. "Can you come over and sit with Cathy? She's asleep now but she's out of the coma. If she wakes up while I'm gone I want someone I trust here with her."

"No problem , dude. Be there in 20."

Bobby hung up and went back to sit with Cathy. He wasn't worried. He hadn't actually killed Anders, just beaten the fuck out of him. And there was no way the cops could prove that Anders injuries weren't from falling down the cliff. Rangemen knew how to kill someone and make it look like an accident. They'd all killed to protect the ones they loved before. He'd talk to the cops and be done with it.

The hard part would be talking to Cathy. Sooner or later, she'd find out about Anders and ask what happened. Bobby wasn't ashamed of what he did. Fuckhead deserved that and worse, and Bobby would do the same thing again. But he didn't want Cathy thinking he was a monster.

He hadn't realized that 20 minutes had passed until he heard Lester walk into the room. He talked quietly to Lester for a moment, took a glance at Cathy's monitors, then kissed her gently on the forehead. "I'll be back in a little while, baby. Lester will stay with you. Just sleep." He knew Lester would rag him for being so demonstrative but he didn't care. He left Lester sitting by her bed, grinning like an idiot at Bobby's obvious display of affection, and walked out the door.


	16. Chapter 16

Bobby meets His Match- Chapter 16

_Sorry if you are a Morelli fan. I have never liked him, and I am not flattering to him in this chapter. Please leave feedback, as I live for it._

Bobby hesitated leaving the room, as he didn't want to leave Cathy, even for a minute. He sure as hell didn't want to talk to any cops about that asshole Anders. He walked into the hospital lobby, and "fucking great" he thought. It was Morelli and another detective. He fucking hated Morelli, and not just because he was Steph's ex. Morelli hated Ranger, and he considered the Rangemen " hired thugs." He was always trying to get Rnager arrested for something. Bobby was not a fucking thug, and neither were the others. He was a highly trained former SEAL. Bobby was certain any of them could beat the crap out of Morelli. And Ander's death was made to look like an accident, so why the hell was Morelli investigating it? There was no reason to think it a homicide ( even though it mostly was.)

Bobby swaggered over to the cops, pegging Morelli with an alpha-male glare. He wasn't going to speak first. Morelli said, " This is my partner Big Dog. We are here to talk to you about Scott Anders." Bobby just stared at them. "Do you know Scott Anders? " Bobby said, " I have met him." Morelli gave Bobby a sarcastic look. " You were seen manhandling him about a week ago outside his place of business." Bobby had total blankface. "Yes, I was serving him with a restraining order regarding a woman he was terrorizing." Morelli stared at Bobby, trying to peg him with a 'bad cop' look, but Bobby didn't flinch.

"He was found at the bottom of a cliff yesterday," Morelli said, trying to get a reaction from Bobby. "Well, if the guy fell off a cliff , what does that have to do with me?, " he asked having to restrain himself from getting in Morelli's face.

Morelli looked right in Bobby's face. " I know that you thugs are somehow involved with this. Just like I know Ranger killed Abruzzi a few years ago."

"I thought that Scott's death was accidental? And wasn't Abruzzi a suicide?" Bobby said, through clenched teeth.

Big Dog broke in, trying to diffuse the tension between the two men. " There is no evidence that the death is anything other than an accident. And there was no evidence that Abruzzi wasn't a suicide."

Bobby pulled himself up to his full height. " Ok, then, I have to get back to my girlfriend. I trust I won't be bothered again about this."

Morelli said, " we'd like to talk to her, too."

"You are going to question her regarding her ex's accidental death? " Bobby said through his teeth. "No fucking way will that happen. " He met Morelli's eyes, challenging him to defy Bobby. Morelli met his stare for a moment, then he and Big Dog walked out.

Then Bobby turned and walked back to Cathy's room.

Cathy looked around Bobby's apartment in the Rangeman building. She'd never been here before. But he'd insisted that she come to his place so he can "keep an eye on her." In fact, she'd been released from the hospital "in Bobby's care." After all, she did still have some symptoms of a concussion and was a little weak and her chest still hurt from her broken ribs. She hadn't wanted to admit that to Bobby, though, since he felt so guilty that he was the one who broke her ribs, even though it was while saving her life.

He'd been so solicitous of her. They had stopped at her apartment for her to pack a few things that she would need for the night and to feed her cat. Actually, Bobby hadn't let her pack a thing. She'd sat on her bed, and directed him what to pack for her.

She looked around the small one bedroom apartment, so reflective of Bobby himself. There was a huge TV and stereo system, a surfboard, medical instruments, and boxes of ammo on the coffee table. She was surprised that everything seemed so clean. She couldn't picture Bobby pushing a vacuum cleaner or scrubbing the tub. " If you are hungry, just let me know. I don't keep a lot of food here, but can call Ella for food. She cooks and takes care of everyone who lives in the building."

Ahhh, that explained the clean apartment and probably the clean bedsheets. Bobby turned to her and gave her that boyishly charming grin. Its nice to have a "housekeeper" here to clean the place. Its one of the perks of the job.

She was aching and her head hurt and she still has that nasty antiseptic hospital smell all over her. She just wanted to wash. She must have had a look of discomfort on her face, because Bobby sat her down on the couch. " How are you feeling? Are you in pain?" he asked, his dark chocolate eyes assessing her.

"Yes, " she said, but she knew her voice was weary. She was tired." My head hurts a little." Bobby touched her chest carefully. " How about your ribs?" Is it still painful to breathe? "

"it just hurts a little, but not all the time. But I'd like to take the bandage off and take a nice bath," she said, imagining being clean. "Ok, let me just check you over first," he said. Bobby sat next to her and shone his small penlite in her eyes. He put the blood pressure cuff on her, then put his stethoscope to her arm, watching the dial carefully.

She watched his long, dark eyelashes as he watched the dial. She could look at him without him catching her at it. Part of her hated the fact that he was so medical. Sure, she trusted him completely. But she didn't think of him like a medic, and she sure as hell didn't want him thinking of her clinically, as just another patient, just another body. She wanted him to think of her as beautiful and sexy,

She quickly shifted her gaze as he looked up, deflating the cuff. He put his fingers on her wrist, then looked up at her. "Your pulse is a little fast," he told her. He was so serious. 'yeah," she said, catching his eyes,. " I think its because of the extremely sexy doc sitting next to me. " Bobby paused for a minute, then his gorgeous smile spread across his face and he kissed her gently. " When you are feeling better, I'll really make your heart race," he said, his eyes now hot with the promise of desire.

"Right now, I'd just love to get clean," Cathy sighed. "well, your blood pressure is ok , so you can take a bath. But don't make the water too hot, I don't want you passing out in the tub.

Five minutes later, Cathy was luxuriating in Bobby's tub, filled with hot water. Usually, it would be awkward taking a bath in a guy's tube, but she felt completely at ease. Next to Bobby's deodorant soap, was a bar of Dove, probably courtesy of the mysterious Ella. Bobby had left her a huge, fluffy, Egyptian cotton towel on the rack. Not the threadbare one she'd expected in a guy's apartment.

She sighed and leaned back. She was feeling a lot better. She still didn't remember the drowning, which was probably a good thing. When she had asked Bobby about Scott, he'd merely said that she was safe and not to worry about Scott anymore. She knew there was probably a great deal more to it than that, and she intended to find out-later. She sighed and let the warm water relax her.

Bobby had just knocked on the door to check on Cathy, and the brief glimpse he got of her breasts above the water made him rock hard. He tried to quell his desire. Fuck. He was NOT going to make love to her until she was fully recovered. He wasn't going to be a pig.

Cathy lay under Bobby's cool, soft sheets, cradled up against his big, warm body. He had re-bandaged up her ribs after she got out of the tub. Now, he was running his fingers lightly over the bandage, his face dismayed. " I am so sorry that I hurt you like this," he said. " I would never hurt you on purpose." His mind strayed back to the other time that he had almost hurt her accidentally.

Cathy's eyes roamed lovingly over Bobby. He always felt so guilty when something bad happened that he couldn't control. He always felt like he should be able to control everything. Like he had failed if anything bad ever happened to anyone he loved . She grabbed his hand, and interlaced her fingers with his. "Bobby, you saved my life. Who cares about a few broken ribs?" She snuggled against him and closed her eyes.

Bobby cared. He shouldn't have had to break her ribs, he shouldn't have put her in a situation where she had to escape Anders. He should have taken the fucker out when he first saw him, instead of giving him some damn warning. Bobby knew it was his fault she'd almost died, he'd failed to protect her from that bastard. He smiled slightly as he remembered the satisfaction he got from torturing Anders. So far, he'd managed to avoid talking to her about Anders, but soon she'd find out. The situation with Anders had put the question of his getting therapy aside, but he knew it would come up again. Especially if she found out what he'd done to Anders.

As he leaned down to kiss her now sleeping face, he hoped when she found out she wouldn't hate him. " Go to sleep, baby. I love you," he whispered. Then he clutched her to him and drifted off to sleep.

Cathy had insisted on going to the office that morning, so Bobby had dropped her off with the order to "take it easy." He'd told her to call and he'd pick her up and take her home. They hadn't had sex last night, but she had enjoyed just sleeping in his arms. She was glad to be back in a suit and heels. Wearing heels made her feel strong and sexy. Bobby's gaze had slowly roamed over her legs when he saw her, then he gave her that heated smile.

Her secretary, Monica, had left her a huge pile of phone messages, so she thought she'd return those first. Sitting and talking on the phone certainly qualified as "taking it easy." She was behind in a couple of cases, although Monica had managed to find someone else to deal with a couple urgent ones that had come up. It felt good to be back at work.

She was so engrossed in catching up that she didn't even notice when Monica came in.

"Oh, Cathy, you look so good. We heard that you had drowned and we were so worried. But I heard that tall dark, handsome boyfriend of yours was such a hero."

Obviously Monica hadn't heard about what had caused Cathy to fall in the pool, and since Cathy wasn't sure herself, she just let it go.

"I'm fine, Monica. Bobby took good care of me," she said, trying to reassure her secretary.

"Its too bad what happened to that guy you used to date, huh?" Monica said.

What? What the heck was she talking about? Scott? She knew Scott had violated the restraining order and may have pushed her into the pool, but…

"What do you mean it soo bad what happened to Scott…"

"Didn't you hear?" Monica said. " he fell off a cliff when he was hiking and broke most of the bones in his body."

What? Cathy thought. She started to feel nauseous, then dizzy. Could that be a coincidence? She didn't even think Scott went hiking., so how could he… And why didn't Bobby tell her that when she asked? Something was going on here that she needed to know about.

The noise in the shooting range was deafening, even with hearing protection, as Bobby and Lester emptied clip after clip from their automatic rifles into the moving targets. Bobby loved the sound of the badass rifles and the shells flying out the side as they fired.

Finally, the "cease fire" whistle blew, and Bobby and Lester unloaded the rifles, set them down, and went to check out their accuracy. Bobby had scored a headshot on every one of the moving, human shaped targets. Lester had gotten headshots in about ¾, and the rest were chest shots.

"Chest shots won't work if the enemy has body armour, asshole," Bobby teased Lester. "If you need the bad guys eliminated, you can always call us snipers."

"Shut the fuck up, man. Even if a chest shot didn't kill the perp, it would stun them."

Bobby felt his pants vibrate, indicating that his cell was ringing.

"Yo, Brown," he answered, swift and businesslike.

"Bobby?" Cathy's soft voice came over the speaker, her voice a bit wobbly.

'Hey, baby," his voice softened. "How are you feeling?" he couldn't help but smile every time he heard her voice.

"I am just tired and want to go home and relax with you. Can you come get me?"

Bobby noticed a tenseness in her voice, and he was pretty sure he knew what it was about.

"Sure, baby. I'll be there in a few."

He snapped his phone closed , frowning. He knew he wouldn't be able to keep the truth from Cathy for very long. He just hoped she'd still love him when he told her about Anders.


	17. Chapter 17

Bobby Meets His Match – Chapter 17

_This is a shorter chapter, but I wanted to get it posted. Please leave feedback, as I live for it._

Cathy kept looking sidelong at Bobby as he drove the SUV expertly through the city traffic. She had intended to confront him right away about what had happened with Scott, but as soon as she got into the SUV, all logical thought flew out of her head. Bobby was wearing his black Rangeman uniform, and it made his already sculpted body even more chiseled. Suddenly, it seemed like the Scott issue could wait. As soon as she had gotten into the SUV, all she could think of was how much she wanted to have sex with Bobby- now. His muscles bulged as his large hands maneuvered the steering wheel. Nothing seemed as important right now as having those hands on her. She sighed as she remembered what they could do to her. She felt herself get wet just looking at him. She knew he probably wouldn't touch her until her ribs were completely healed. He was like that.

"So, um, do you have the rest of the day off?" She asked.

"Yes," he answered. He turned his head to give her a glance. He knew that she was going to ask about the damn Scott thing. He'd rather get it over with, because it felt like an anvil hanging over his head about to drop on him. He never ran from things, best to deal with the issue and get it over with.

Bobby jerked when her hand suddenly moved to rest on his thigh, moving gently up and down the aaut muscles in his leg. He damn near drove off the road as he felt his dick swell. She looked at him and grinned," Maybe we can, you know…" she said, suddenly apparently shy. Fuck. He really wanted to fuck her senseless. It seemed like it had been forever since he'd touched her. But her ribs were still healing and probably still painful and he wasn't going to hurt her again.

"Um, I don't,.. we shouldn't…your ribs are still sore," he heard himself stammer, sounding like an idiot. Shit. She was lucky he could still even drive with her hand on him like that , so close to his dick.

By the time they got to her place, Bobby felt like he was going to explode. He had expected that she would confront him with the Scott question right away, but she really wanted sex. There was no way he was having sex with her until she was completely healed- he wasn't going to hurt her again. But he could definitely use this to his advantage. He could definitely distract her from the Scott thing.

Bobby waited just inside the door as Cathy fed the cat, washed her hands, and then grabbed his hand and led him to the bedroom.

"Baby, no, we can't do this," he said as he allowed her to pull him into the bedroom. She pulled him down next to her on the bed, and put her mouth on his. Her lips moved over his and Bobby had to pull himself away before he lost control. He pulled back.

"There is no way that we can have sex that won't hurt you."

" I want you so badly," she whispered.

Bobby grinned. His mission was to distract her from asking about Scott and he knew just the way to accomplish it without causing her pain. He gently pushed her back onto the bed, her torso slightly elevated to take some of the pressure off her ribs, then he diligently applied himself to accomplishing his mission.

Cathy just let herself float on the sensations of Bobby's mouth sucking and toying with her clit. His mouth had started on her breasts, gently kissed her ribs, and then went to work between her legs. They hadn't actually had sex, but Bobby worked diligently on satisfying her. She could only gasp, her body spasming as Bobby's amazing mouth coaxed her to yet another orgasm. She had lost count after the third one, and she didn't think she could handle any more. Bobby must have sensed this, because he gave her a final caress, then stretched out next to her. He kissed her and he tasted herself on his lips. She didn't want to do anything but lie in his arms. He sat against the headboard, pulled her against him, and she fell asleep with his huge arms around her.

Bobby knew the minute Cathy awoke. She was lying against his chest, and he couldn't see her face, but he felt her go from the limpness of sleep to her current tenseness. She was absently stroking his arms, caressing his muscles. Damn that felt good. But he knew from the tenseness of her body that she was about to bring up the topic he most wanted to avoid. Ok, it wasn't the topic he MOST wanted to avoid. That would be talking to someone about his damn dreams. This one was close, though.

"Bobby, you never told me what happened with Scott?" she asked in a soft voice, sliding over so that she was cradled against him, facing him.

Bobby tightened his arms around her. Ok, start out evasive, and see if she lets it drop, he thought. " You don't ever need to worry about him again. He can't hurt you anymore," was all he said. She felt his deep voice rumbling in his chest as he spoke.

" How do you know he won't hurt me?" she prodded.

Fuck. She must already know. Maybe she was the fucking TV news? That fucker Morelli better not have bothered her.

"I made sure he won't," Bobby said, confidently.

Cathy took a deep breath, turned to look at him face to face. " Bobby, my secretary saw on the news that Scott died from a fall. Did you push him off that cliff?"

Ok, that was one Bobby could answer truthfully.

"No, I didn't," he said. Cathy wasn't deterred.

She pulled back from him a bit, and looked into his eyes. "Bobby, did you kill him?"

Bobby looked her straight in the face. Again he could be honest this time. "No."

He looked into her eyes and knew he couldn't dodge any more. He'd have to tell the truth. If he didn't use the word, "torture.."

" I didn't kill him, but I did beat the shit out of him. Then, well, nature took care of the rest," Bobby told her finally.

She was looking at him with her mouth open in surprise, like he was a monster, and Bobby felt his heart sink.

" Oh my God, you beat him almost to death, then let him die…" she stated the obvious.

"How did he get at the bottom of a cliff?"

Bobby felt defensive and did what all soldiers do on the defensive, he closed up. " You are better off not knowing that, but I will tell you that I didn't do it."

Cathy was silent for a minute, absorbing what he told her. She had suspected it, but she hadn't really believed. Bobby had just , practically , confessed to murder. Or at least assault. She had never met a guy who was as sweet and tender and caring as he was, so it was hard to actually believe he'd actually beat someone almost to death. That wasn't" her "Bobby.

"You killed Scott just because he hurt me?, " she repeated.

"Just" what the hell did she mean "just because Scott hurt her." He had more than hurt her. The fucker had damn near killed her. " I didn't kill him," Bobby defended himself. He looked into her eyes, holding the contact." I wanted to. I was planning to. But I didn't because I knew you wouldn't want me to," he told her, hoping that last part would win him a reprieve from her anger.

She pulled out of his arms, as if she couldn't bear for him to touch her anymore. Bobby looked stunned, but let her go.

"Bobby, you can't just beat up a man because he hurt me."

"I gave him a chance. I warned him to stay away. He didn't listen…"

'so you beat him almost to death?," she finished for him.

" He wasn't just some innocent guy. He didn't just hurt you. He bothered you even after I warned him to stay away. He pushed you into the pool."

"He didn't push me. I backed away from him and fell."

Bobby couldn't believe that she was mad at him and defending that asshole.

" He deserved to die. He saw you fall in the pool and he didn't do anything. He left you there to die. When I found you , you weren't breathing. You didn't have a pulse. You were DEAD. If Les and I had gotten there just a few minutes later, we wouldn't have been able to revive you," his voice cracked with the memory as he finished the sentence.

Cathy almost cried at the hurt expression on Bobby's face. She careesed his cheek gently with her fingers. . " Bobby, I know you saved my life. You always protect me and the things you love. But you can't just go around beating people up for me."

"What the hell else would you expect me to do?" He was unaccustomed to having his actions questioned. He did what he had to do and he didn't second guess himself.

" Call the police , like everyone else does."

No sooner were the words out of her mouth than Cathy realized her error. She was expecting Bobby to behave like a regular guy. Bobby wasn't a regular guy. He never would be a regular guy, and she didn't want him to be. A regular guy could never have endured the things he'd endured and survived with such gentleness and caring intact. A regular guy didn't constantly protect the people he loved. Bobby was a warrior, and he was a healer. He was a guy who took control of every situation, who saw the world as black and white. Bobby had his own code of honor. He would think nothing of dying for those he loved. Or killing for them. She loved him BECAUSE he wasn't a regular guy.

Bobby must have read her mind. " I am not a regular guy and I never will be. I don't regret beating the hell out of Scott because he ignored my warning and almost killed the only woman I have ever loved. That is how I am. I would do it again. A year ago, I would have just killed him. I didn't because I knew you wouldn't want me to."

Cathy looked at him and the fear he saw in her eyes stabbed like a knife. She was afraid of him?

" You don't have to be afraid of me. I'd never hurt you. You know that," he whispered, caressing her face.

She grabbed his hand and held it . " I know you would never hurt me on purpose. I know you love me and you would do anything, even die, to protect me. You are so sweet and gentle and tender . But I also know that you have seen a lot of violence and you can be violent. And you can lose control, like you did when you had your bad dream. You have very strong feelings of both tenderness and of violence. "

Jeezus, here was that fucking therapy thing again.

"I can't go through life worried that you will beat someone up or kill them just because they insulted me or hurt me. Or that you will go to jail because you killed someone That maybe you might…" her voice tapered off, "that you might unintentionally lose control and kill me."

Bobby looked into her eyes, shocked. He knew where she was going with this, and he sure as hell didn't want her to go there. He felt, well, he didn't really know quite what he felt because he'd never felt it before. Never this type of despair, loss, anger, hurt, guilt, and the knowledge that he had, just by being who he was, screwed up the best thing that had ever happened to him. If he had protected her well enough in the first place, none of this would have happened.

"Bobby, I need some time."

"Time?" women always said they need time. What exactly the fuck did that mean? It usually meant that they were dumping you. He felt the fabric of his world ripping violently apart, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"But, I love you. I would never…"

" I know you love me. I love you, too. But I need time to think about weather I can be with you. You need to get help- talk to someone, not just about your dreams, about that violence that's inside you."

That was it. His heart had officially shattered into a million pieces like shards of glass. She got out of bed, wrapping her robe around her, and headed for the door. Bobby got the message without her saying anything.

She wanted him to leave, and she didn't want him to call her.

"I'll call you after I've had some time to think," she said, giving him a kiss.

Bobby couldn't leave without making sure she knew, she understood. " I love you. I would never hurt you. But I don't regret delivering on the threat I gave Anders. But I didn't kill him because I knew you wouldn't want me to."

He felt his damn vulnerability and hurt overwhelm him, and his vision clouded with unshed tears. Then he kissed her softly on the mouth and left, before she could see his tears fall.


	18. Chapter 18

Bobby Meets His Match- Chapter 18

**Two chapters in two days. I am on a roll, here. Please leave feedback, as I live for it. **

_Bobby scanned the horizon for any signs of movement, even the slightest change in the color or texture of the brown sandy hills. He gripped his rifle, all his muscles tense, his finger on the trigger, ready to fire if he saw even the slightest movement out there. The five guys with him were working hurriedly to repair the damage to two of the trucks in the convoy. They had to work quickly so they could get the hell out of there. They had been crossing a long flat, open plateau when a couple of the wheels broke on the trucks. This was the worst place they could possibly have gotten stuck. Surrounding them on all sides were hills. Terrorists could hide, camoflauged by the hills, and have a straight open shot at Bobby's squad. _

_Bobby was on lookout, and he rotated scanning for the slightest flash, the tiniest movement, that would indicate someone in the hills around them. He couldn't possibly cover all the hills surrounding them by himself- but he had to. There was no other option. It was late afternoon, and completely quiet, except for the small bit of wind that blew some of the fucking sand around them. This was the most godforsaken place on Earth. While his eyes scanned, he wondered why the hell the terrorists would even want a giant shithole like this. He knew ambush would happen, it was just a question of when, and from where. _

"_Lets get the hell out of here as fast as we can," his commander stood and walked around the truck._

_No sooner had the words left his mouth than a bullet hit him in the head, and he fell, a look of surprise on his face. Then more bullets started to rain down, seemingly from everywhere. Bobby turned, frantically scanning the hills, but he couldn't find the sniper. He fired randomly, hoping he would hit the sniper before it killed his whole team. The other guys had dragged the commander's body behind the jeep, but he was already dead. It was raining bullets, and Bobby shot back blindly, not knowing where the snipers were, seeing bullet after bullet…_

The blaring of the alarm on Bobby's watch jolted him out of the nightmare. He lay completely still, gasping, afraid to move in case one of the Taliban might see him for the several seconds it took him to figure out where he was. No, not back in that fucking hellhole. Not physically, anyway. Physically he was safe in his bed in his apartment at Rangeman. He sat up and wiped his arm across his sweaty forehead.

Dammit. This was the third fucking night in a row. The dreams weren't supposed to affect him in his own bed. But for the last three nights, since his last conversation with Cathy, they had. And tonight's wasn't even the worst one. That was appropriate. Cathy had made him feel almost as vulnerable and hurt, and yes, scared as he had been on that pass in Afghanistan. Then, it was his body that was in danger, this time it was his heart. Fuck. This was exactly why he had always just wanted women for sex. The one time he let himself fall in love with a woman, and he gets hurt. He loved her so much. Bobby sighed, then got up to get ready for his shift.

" So, which is it , Megan Fox, or Kim Kardashian?" Lester asked.

" I am so goddamn tired of your stupid adolescent shit. Grow the fuck up man," Bobby retorted, never taking his eyes from the rode as they drove the skip to the police station.

Bobby had been a complete bastard the last few days. In fact, none of the other guys wanted to do shifts with him yesterday. Lester was the only one who would endure Bobby in this mood.

Les didn't take offense at Bobby's insults. He hadn't seen Bobby quite this way before, but he knew that Bobby wasn't really angry at him. He was hurt about getting dumped by Cathy. He knew bobby would never let his hurt show, so it came out as anger.

"Fuck, what am I Dr. Phil all of a sudden?" Lester thought.

Bobby hadn't said anything , of course, but you didn't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that Cathy had been upset with Bobby for torturing Anders. This was exactly why the fuck you didn't have relationships with women. Just bang them and get the hell away before they can fuck with your sanity.

And since Bobby looked like he hadn't slept much in the past few nights. Lester assumed that the dreams were an issue, too.

They had dropped off the skip and were leaving cop central, when,

"oh, fuck," thought Les. Morelli approached them as they left the building, heading straight for Bobby.

This was not fucking going to turn out well. Les looked over at Bobby whose face was like a stone.

"I've been looking for you," Morelli said.

'Well, Sherlock, you found us," Les replied.

Morelli stared at Bobby, whose eyes were covered by dark mirrored glasses.

" I know you killed Anders," Morelli told Bobby. " A witness said she saw a guy in a black shirt roughing him up the day before he died."

" Lets see, how many million black shirts are there in the greater Trenton area? It's a popular color." Bobby retorted.

"I've heard its very slimming," Lester added helpfully, trying to keep this from getting too intense.

He did not want to have to bail Bobby out of jail for hitting a cop. Bobby was usually really levelheaded, but in his current mood…

"Ander's death was ruled accidental, so quit bothering us, asshole," Bobby yelled at him.

" I know you did it. You are a killer, Brown, just like that thug Manoso that you work for," Morelli taunted. " I guess I'll just have to ask Cathy Jurgens what she knows aobut her ex's death."

Bobby moved right up just inches from Morelli, and Lester scrambled to keep himself between them.

"Don't you dare bother her about her ex's accident," Bobby snarled.

Morelli responded with the most juvenile answer in the world.

" Or what?"

Fuck. Morelli was clearly trying to get Bobby to lose control and hit him, so that he would get arrested.

Lester shot Morelli an evil look, then turned to Bobby.

"Comeon, dude," Lester grabbed Bobby's shoulder and tried to pull him away from Morelli.

" If you go near her, I'll file police harassment charges and I'll make ethics allegations that will cost you your badge, asshole," Bobby retorted, before allowing Lester to drag him away. God, he hated that fucker Morelli.

Steph sighed. It had been a week now since sweet, strong, gentle Bobby had been replaced with this cold, silent, robotic, harsh Bobby, and it was breaking her heart. He'd always been one of her favorites among the guys, and it was painful for her to see him this way. Ranger had questioned her sanity when she had requested that Bobby accompany her on her pilgrimage to the mall. She had shopped all day for shoes, bras, and clothes. Bobby hadn't once grimaced, or rolled his eyes, or cracked a smile, or stroked the lingerie like he usually did when she dragged him shopping. He'd just stood there silent as a stone, acting like a bodyguard.

Now he sat across from her at Pinos, hyperalert, eyes constantly scanning the room as she ate. He looked like hell. His beautiful brown eyes were bloodshot, and had dark circles under them. Lines creased his handsome face. It was obvious Bobby hadn't gotten much sleep. She hadn't seen him look this bad since, well, since he had sat vigil at Cathy's bedside when she had almost drowned.

"Bobby?" she asked. " What happened?"

He didn't look at her. "Nothing."

She moved across the booth to sit next to him and took his chin in her hands, waiting until his eyes finally rested on hers.

"Bobby, I love you, like the big brother I never had. And it hurts me to see you like this. Talk to me. Is it the dreams?"

'No," he said, although it was obvious something was keeping him from sleeping well.

"BobBY" she said more firmly. She wasn't going to put up with his silent man crap today." You and Cathy had a fight, didn't you?"

Before her eyes Bobby's stone face crumbled and she saw the hurt , boyish vulnerability replace it.

"She is mad that I, um, beat up Anders."

Beat up? That was a surprise. " I thought you actually killed him," Steph said quietly, making sure no one was around to hear them.

" No, I tortured him and beat the shit out of him. But I didn't kill him because I knew she would be upset if I did," He had an expression like a little boy expecting praise for his restraint in eating only one piece of the cake instead of the whole thing.

"But she wasn't happy that you didn't kill him. She's upset that you beat him up?" Steph asked.

" She thinks I was wrong," Bobby said indignantly.

" You ARE wrong, from a legal standpoint, anyway. " Steph pointed out. She understood how Cathy felt. She had been shocked when Ranger had killed Abruzzi for her. And she hadn't wanted Bobby to kill Anders.

" He almost KILLED her. She was DEAD when Les and I found her. That asshole deserved to die." Bobby was indignant. He must be upset, since he hadn't bothered to watch his language around her, like he usually did.

"Now she thinks that because I beat that asshole up I am some kind of a monster."

Bobby looked up into her eyes and the pain in his almost floored her. "She's afraid of me," he whispered.

"So she broke up with you?" Steph asked, holding his massive hand.

"She said she needed time to think, whatever the fuck that means. But I think she meant it like permanently."

Steph hugged him. "Oh, Bobby. I'm sorry. I know how much you love her. She just doesn't understand about you guys and your code of honor. Actually, I am still getting used to it myself. All you guys have a set of ethics that is sometimes different from the law. That can be hard to accept. "

Steph hesitated, then trudged on, figuring it was worth a shot to mention… " You know, if you went to see someone, like a therapist, about your dreams, maybe that would show her that you are trying to meet her halfway."

Bobby cringed. Damn. That fucking therapy thing again. He knew that Cathy wanted him to go, and that it might even get him "brownie points" with her if he did. But he wasn't sure if he could do that, even for her. If she thought he was a monster now, imagine what she'd think if all those things he'd rather forget came barreling form his subconscious to his awareness. He didn't think he could survive that with his sanity intact. He was lucky he had survived it once. He couldn't go through that again, not even for her.

Steph hopped up from the booth. "Come on. I want to go to Macy's they have awesome bras. You'll love it. "

Ram watched the "C1" dot flash on the screen, indicating the location of Cathy's car. Ranger had told him to put a tracker on her car, so they could "keep an eye on her" for Bobby until this whateverthehellitwas between them was over. It was just to make sure she was safe. It didn't count as stalking unless they actually followed her, right?

Ram sighed. Whatever happened between those two probably had to do with that fucker Anders. Women could be such a fucking pain in the ass sometimes . They never fucking understood that you just do what you have to do.

Steph, just back from shopping came over to his station at the monitors. "Hey, Ram," she said.

"Hey, Steph, I see you survived your journey with Bobby. You are braver than any of us to hang out with him lately, " he teased. "Poor bastard," he said sympathetically.

"Yeah, Ram, where does the tracker say that Cathy is now?"

"Um, she just left her office and it looks like she's heading back to her apartment."

Steph wrote down the address, then headed for the garage. She was tired of seeing Bobby so miserable. She needed to have another little talk with Cathy.


	19. Chapter 19

Bobby Meets His Match- Chapter 19

_See, I updated quickly, as promised. This chapter is a lot of talk. Please leave reviews , as I live for them. _

Steph parked at the curb of the apartment building. It was actually a pretty nice complex. She had never been able to live in a place this nice. But she knew social workers didn't make that much money, so maybe the rents weren't too bad. She walked around the complex, looking for the right apartment. She shivered as she passed the pool, where Cathy had nearly drowned. She couldn't imagine what Bobby must have felt when he found Cathy there, almost dead. For a guy as strong and used to being in control as Bobby, the feeling helplessness must have been horrible. Just thinking about it made her angry, so she could understand why Bobby would want to beat the crap out of Anders.

Bobby was working a double shift tonight, with Adam, the new guy. Since Adam was new, he got stuck with the duty no one wanted,these days, Bobby's partner. She hoped that he stayed away from the 5th floor and the control room. He hadn't said anything, but she thought he was secretly glad they had put a tracker on Cathy's car. That way, they can keep an eye on her, make sure she was safe. But If he found out that Steph was at Cathy's he would be angry. He didn't want his weaknesses revealed, and certainly not discussed.

The smell of the pizza she'd brought from Pino's was making her mouth water. She figured when showing up unexpectedly at the home of someone you barely know at dinnertime, it was best to bring food. She had a six pack as well. Maybe if she got Cathy drunk…

The apartment light was on, and Steph wondered if Cathy had just gotten home. She heard a faint "mreeowr" after she rang the buzzer. Cathy's eyes widened when she opened the door and saw Steph. Steph knew Ranger loved her but if she didn't she'd be jealous of Cathy's trim little body. For the first time, Steph wondered how a guy as huge as Bobby could even, well, match up, with a petite woman like Cathy.

Cathy gave her a quizzical look. " Stephanie- remember, Bobby's coworker from Rangeman?" Steph prompted her.

"Oh, yes, of course, I 'm sorry I didn't recognize you,"

Cathy peeked outside to see if there was anyone else out there, probably hoping Bobby was.  
" I brought dinner." Steph said. "Come in, " Cathy invited her. Steph walked in to a basic apartment. Ok, she officially loved Cathy, the apartment was a mess. Dished were in the sink, papers scattered all over the floor. Cathy put the slices of pizza onto plates.

"Nice place," Steph said, really meaning it. Cathy laughed. "The first time Bobby was here, I think he was horrified that it was such a mess. He is so organized." Steph laughed. She squatted to stroke the grey cat. " Be careful. Cinder will try to steal the food off your plate if you let her."

They sat down on the couch, using the coffee table as a dining table. They both were hungry and practically inhaled their first slices of pizza and the first beer. " I can't imagine Bobby sent you. He doesn't know you are here, does he?"

Steph laughed. No and she hoped to God he'd never find out. Bobby is so private. He'd be furious if he knew she was here.

"No, Bobby doesn't know. And lets keep it out little secret." Steph told her.

"You look a lot better than you did last time I saw you," Steph told Cathy. "How are you feeling?"

Cathy smiled. "I feel much better. Bobby took good care of me." Her smile faded. It was obvious she really loved Bobby and missed him.

" I never found out exactly what happened to you," Steph said.

"Well, I was out sunning at the pool, when my ex Scott came and started to harass me. He smacked me. I tried to get away from him, and I tripped and hit my head on the side of the pool. I must have fallen in and drowned.

"I understand Bobby was frantic when he found you. And Bobby doesn't do frantic. He and Lester did CPR, then took you to the hospital themselves. Bobby actually got thrown out of the ER when he argued with the doctor about how best to treat you."

Cathy laughed. That was Bobby, always confident, always protective. Cathy hadn't ever heard this part of the story before. Of course, Bobby would never tell her.

"Bobby is something else. He saved my life but he was mortified that he broke my ribs doing it."

Cathy's face lit up whenever she talked about Bobby. " How is he? Is he ok?"

"Silent, quiet, bad tempered since the two of you split up," Steph said, honestly.

Tears shimmered in Cathy's eyes, making them even more gorgeous.

" You love him, don't you?" Steph asked.

"He's so strong and sweet and gentle, and powerful, and sexy, and…" she met Steph's look and laughed.

"Yes, I agree. Bobby is one of a kind. I've known him for years. He seldom dated the same woman long, and he certainly didn't talk about the women he dated. But , well, I've never seen him about any woman the way he is about you. "

Cathy shrugged. "He's such a great guy that its hard to believe that he can be so…violent."

" I thought you were ok with the dreams," Steph said.

" I'm not really ok with them. I want him to see someone, and he'd consider it."

Wow. From what Steph had learned the guys would rather die than talk about that stuff.

"He must really love you to even consider something like that.," Steph said.

Bobby drove, doing the night patrolling of their clients, with the new guy, Adam. Lester'd had a date tonight, and so Bobby had gotten stuck with the new guy. Or the new guy had gotten stuck with him. He knew that he'd been a real bastard lately, so no one but Lester wanted to do shifts with him. Bobby had taken a double shift with a new guy-anything- to try to keep him from thinking aobut Cathy.

Bobby didn't really like working with new guys. Adam seemed ok, but he was still an unknown quantity, unproven under fire. Sure the guy was former military, but that didn't always mean he was good. Bobby missed having Les for a partner, even though he was a giant pain in the ass. He and Les had a system, they had each other's backs, they could anticipate each other's moves. They kept each other safe.

Bobby rubbed his eyes. He felt like shit. His eyes stung, and he was tired. He hadn't slept well in a week. It wasn't just the dreams, he missed Cathy. He loved about her and thought about her constantly. He knew she was upset about the Anders thing, but Bobby didn't regret it. He had gotten retribution for that fucker hurting his woman. Bobby wasn't violent and he'd never would never hurt her, she should know that. Except that he almost had.

He'd wanted to call her so badly this week, but he knew she didn't want him to. She thought he was some kind of animal now, she was afraid of him. She said she "needed time" but he knew that was just a chick euphemism for " I hate you and never want to see you again."

He had to show her he wasn't a monster. That he loved her. He had to prove to her she could trust him not to be violent. She really wanted him to talk to someone about his dreams maybe if he did, she'd want him back. But how could he bear to go through that again? What if reliving that really did make him lose control and be violent? She would hate him.

Maybe he could just be evasive and avoid talking about the war at all.

He stopped so Adam could get out car to go take a piss by the sideof the road in some shrubs.

Bobby needed to do this before he lost his nerve. "Allright, Brown. You survived three tours fighting those terrorist fuckers. You can certainly handle just talking to some woman. "he thought, trying to convince himself. He flipped the card Cathy had given him through his fingers. . This therapist was supposed to specialize in therapy for veterans with PTSD and other issues. She was supposed to be one of the best there was. Bobby sighed and got out his phone, and dialed slowly.

"Um, yeah, I want to make an appointment…"

Adam just got back into the car as Bobby was snapping his phone closed. He had an appointment for next week, and he'd just have to figure out how to avoid talking about the war.

His musing was interrupted by a call from Rangeman. An alarm had been tripped at Morton's fine jewelery, one of their clients. An armed robbery was reported in progress. Bobby quickly pulled a U-turn and sped off.

Cathy opened her second beer. "He loves me. Maybe too much. He" she sighed."Did you know he beat up Scott and left him to die?" Cathy exclaimed. " He can't just…"

" Cathy, I have known Ranger and his men for many years now. And I have learned that they operate differently from most people. "

Cathy nodded, her head down.

"Ranger, the guys, Bobby… they are good, good men. They are strong and they can handle just about any situation. Bobby can handle war zones, bleeding wounds, cars… You can feel completely confident with him in every situation. they know that the world can be a harsh place. I trust Ranger and Bobby implicitly, with my life. He literally kept you alive. But, the guys do have their "dark sides". Bobby's seen some unspeakable things, and probably had to do some unspeakable things, and he made it through because he's a good man. The guys do what is necessary to protect the people they love. They would die for me, and maybe kill for me."

"So, its ok that Bobby beat up…"

" A few years ago, a man stalked me and tried to kill me. Two days later he committed "suicide." I suspect Ranger did it. That's how the guys are. They protect what they love. There is right and there is wrong , good guys and bad guys. They do what's right, even if it may not be totally legal."

You know, Bobby really is trying to be more like you want him to be. He said he didn't actually kill Anders because he knew you wouldn't like it. For a guy like Bobby, that's huge."

"But aren't you worried that he'd get arrested?"

"Its not like they go around killing everyone. Just the ones who really deserve it. And they know how to cover their tracks.

Cathy thought about that. " I do wish he'd see someone about the dreams. I mean, they have to be hard on him. And I know he'd never hurt me on purpose, but he almost…"

Steph agreed. " I agree that he would feel better if he went to therapy. But I don't think we should push. He must really love you if he is even considering it. But don't push. Guys like Bobby don't like to be…

Steph's sentence was interrupted by the ringing of her phone. Rangeman. They knew where she was. Why would they be calling her?

"Hey, Ram, what's…"

She stopped and her face went pale. Cathy knew the news couldn't be good.

She gasped."Oh, my God. How bad is it?"

She listened and then hung up.

'Come on," She told Cathy. "We have to go. Bobby's been shot. I don't know how bad it is."


	20. Chapter 20

Bobby Meets His Match-Chapter 20

_Please leave reviews, as I live for them._

Adam McQuade drew his weapon and ran with his partner for tonight, Bobby Brown, towards the armed robbers in the jewelry store. Bobby approached first, communicating with Adam via hand signals. Adam had only been at Rangeman a few weeks, and this was the first armed confrontation he'd had on the job. They had called Rangeman control for backup, and the cops were on their way. He and Bobby approached crouched silently outside, met by the blaring of the store's alarm and the smashing of glass cases. Bobby signaled that he would approach first, and Adam was to cover him from the other side. Stealth was key, as was precise timing. They were both to burst in, from opposite directions on the thieves, at exactly the same time. Bobby motioned to his watch and they confirmed. Move in in 30 seconds. They wanted to surprise the thieves, not be surprised by them. Bobby crept forward slowly, silently, weapon drawn until he was swallowed up by the shadows. Adam was supposed to get to his position simultaneously, but he lost track of the timing. He was still getting into his position when he heard Bobby yell, "Rangeman Security. Drop the weapon." He watched, stunned, as one of the assailants turned and shot Bobby. Bobby flinched and then fired, taking both assailants down , even as he fell. Adam also fired, belatedly.

'Oh, fuck," Adam thought, as he ran to where Bobby had fallen. The two assailants were on the ground with bullet wounds to the head. Bobby was crouched on the ground , holding his hand to the hole that was in his Kevlar vest over his lower chest . Adam got on the radio to Rangeman, telling them only that Bobby had been shot and to order an ambulance. He stood, in shock, staring at Bobby, as the The Rangeman SUV arrived, at the same time that the cops did. Hal and Woody came running out of the SUV and over to Bobby, with the rig's medic kit. All the guys at Rangeman had some degree of basic medical training, so Adam should have already been giving Bobby first aid, but the other guys didn't waste time right now to find out why Adam wasn't giving Bobby assistance.

Woody grabbed a bandage and applied pressure to the large wound on Bobby's chest , where an armour piercing bullet had penetrated his Kevlar, while Hal, following Bobby's directions, carefully stripped Bobby's vest and shirt off. As soon as Hal lifted the vest, Bobby and Woody both put pressure on the wound trying to stop the bleeding. Bobby was still semiconscious, gasping out directions to talk Woody through starting an IV and pushing glucose, and to Hal about an occlusive dressing. Typical Bobby, Woody thought. Seriously injured and directing his own care. Hal got on the radio, communicating with Rangeman as the ambulance arrived.

" Brown, what the hell happened?" the medic asked. He The recognized Bobby since he had done ride-alongs with them as a paramedic. Bobby was still partially conscious and tried to give the medics directons in a rapidly slurring voice. 'We got it, Brown, just rest," the medic told him as they took his vitals, secured the dressing, pushed meds into the IV Woody had started, and bustled him off on the gurney. Woody got in to ride with Bobby to the hospital.

Hal approached Adam, who was telling the cops about the break-in.

"Yeah, we answered the silent alarm and Bobby went in the back. He got shot, but he took down both of them AFTER he was shot," Adam said, completely leaving out the part where he missed the timing and froze up. "That Bobby is a tough SOB," Adam said.

"What the fuck happened," Hal confronted Adam. He knew that something wasn't right here. Bobby wouldn't just have approached the assailants without a partner "How the fuck did he get shot and why weren't you giving him medical assistance when we got here?" Hal roared at him, then bustled him into the SUV and to the OR.

Cathy tried not to hyperventilate as Steph drove her in the Rangeman Mercedes to the hospital. She tried to slow her breathing, Bobby would want her to stay calm. Steph was on the phone, getting an update from Rangeman control.

"Well, I don't know a whole lot more," Steph said, as she drove. " He was shot responding to a jewelery store break-in."

Cathy knew the guys wore Kevlar, Bobby had told her so. It couldn't be bad if he had Kevlar on could it?

"How bad is it?" She asked , her voice shaking. Stay calm, breathe, she told herself.

" Woody was backup and said Bobby got shot in the chest. The bullet penetrated his Kevlar."

Oh, God, Cathy thought. The chest. That HAD to be bad. She felt herself breathing rapidly again.

Steph looked at her. " Woody didn't know how bad it was, but he said Bobby was conscious most of the way to the hospital. That has to be good, right?" she said, trying to calm Cathy's fears. Not that she wasn't scared herself. She loved Bobby like a brother. She'd be devastated if he was…no, she couldn't even think that.

Cathy spent the rest of the trip trying to avoid hyperventilating. Shot in the chest sounded really bad. Oh, God, she couldn't bear it if Bobby…no, he'd be ok, he HAD to be. She loved him, and she couldn't bear to lose him. The tiny part of Cathy's brain that could still think rationally realized that this must have been how Bobby felt when he had found her almost dead. The worry and the fear Bobby must have felt.

Steph and Cathy rushed down the hospital corridor towards the OR. They heard loud male voices arguing heatedly even before they saw anyone. As they turned the corner, they almost ran into a wall of black. The waiting room was filled with 10 huge men in black, heavily armed. Holy crap, these were the men who worked with Bobby. They had all come to support their friend, their brother, who had fallen. They looked angry and lethal. These were not men you'd want to have as enemies.

All the men in black were surrounding two other guys. Steph stood perfectly still just inside the waiting area, afraid to interfere, and she held out her arm to keep Cathy back. The guys had to settle this situation themselves. Cathy recognized one man who wasn't dressed like the others. He had on jeans and a blue shirt. There wasn't a weapon visible on him, but Cathy was sure he had one concealed somewhere. She recognized the guy in blue as Bobby's partner and best friend, Lester. "Holy shit," she heard Steph whisper, " it must be bad if Lester ditched a date to come here." It didn't surprise her, she knew that Lester and Bobby were the guy equivalent of best friends. Lester loved Bobby like a brother.

The room was overflowing with testosterone radiating off the huge men, even though most of the huge guys were still. The room was quiet and filled with tension., and anger. All the men in black were watching Lester, who was getting right in a slightly shorter guy in black's face. Lester was pissed.

Cathy wondered why none of the hospital staff intervened in this scene, then she realized that they were probably afraid to.

"You almost let my partner get killed," Lester was yelling at the guy he had pinned against the wall. "You are supposed to back up your partner, cover his back, you didn't do that, asshole…"

"I..I…" the guy, was sputtering.

Another tall muscular guy who Steph identified as Woody, got up and stood next to Lester, big and angry. "Adam, Bobby was conscious in the ambulance almost the entire way here. He only passed out from blood loss a few minutes before he got here. He told us exactly what happened. "

Lester yelled at Adam again. " You weren't fucking focused on the mission and you missed your cue, and Bobby may die because of it." Lester was pressing in on Adam, his hands gripping Adam's shirt.

Cathy felt like she was going to vomit when Lester mentioned the thought of Bobby dying.

The really huge sweet guy Cathy recognized as Hal commented, " And then, you just stood there like a fucking moron while Bobby was bleeding. You didn't even help him. Bastard. "

Ranger stared at Adam from across the room. "Is that true?"

" Bobby had to apply pressure himself and Woody and I had to give him med assistance," Hal confirmed.

Ranger approached Adam, his dark eyes smoldering with anger, boring holes into Adam. "You were in the military. You should know how to provide backup. You were careless, made an asinine mistake that got your partner, who is also one of my best men, AND a good friend shot, then you didn't even render him aid. AND you tried to lie to me about it." You are fired. Don't even go back to the building. We will mail you your shit. You will not list Rangeman on your resume, and I will make damn sure you never work security again. " Ranger was talking to the guy through clenched teeth, his voice getting dangerously lower and lower.

Lester leaned closer to Adam, pinned against the wall.. "And if Bobby dies, you won't be safe anywhere. I will fucking hunt you down and kill you." Finally, three of the guys in black pulled Lester back from Adam. They took Adam's gun, toolbelt, and cuffs. Ranger said, " get the hell out of here before I change my mind and kill you now fucker."

Cathy didn't know how, but suddenly she really wanted to hurt that asshole Adam. He was the one whose carelessness might have killed Bobby. She gasped, and suddenly couldn't control her tears. Lester turned at the sound of her sobbing and she suddenly went to him. He was Bobby's best friend, he had helped Bobby keep her alive. She ran to him and he pulled her into his arms and against his hard, warm chest.

"Oh, God. Lester, he can't die, I love him," she whispered through her tears. She was so scared. Lester's voice soothed her, taking care of her when bobby couldn't. "I know. And he knows." Cathy suddenly broke,unable to control her sobbing, her tears wetting Lester's shirt. " What if…he…dies?" she choked out. "Shh… he won't die. He's a tough SOB. And he was talking in the ambulance. That's a good sign, right?" Lester said, trying to reassure himself as well.

Lester went over to the small couch and sat, holding Cathy to him, letting her cry. "He'll be ok," Lester kept whispering to her. Cathy sniffed , then quieted. It suddenly hit her that this anger, this overwhelming anger to hurt the person who had hurt Bobby was the same thing Bobby had felt when Scott almost killed her. She could understand now why Bobby had killed him. She would kill Adam if she could. But she was pretty sure all the other guys in black would take care of that for her.

She buried her face in Lester's chest, taking strength from his warmth. " I am so sorry I hurt him," said, to herself as much as to Lester. " I know he's a good man. I just didn't understand that other side of him, the side that will protect what he loves at all costs." She understood now because she felt it. If Bobby died…she shuddered at the thought, and felt Lester's arms tighten around her. "He won't die," Lester repeated firmly. He couldn't die. Lester knew he'd be lost if Bobby died.

Cathy and Steph sat, surrounded by a wall of huge men in black, just waiting. Finally, a doctor came out.

"Who here is Robert Brown's medical contact?" he said.

Ranger stood. " I am his medical next of kin and power of attorney."

" Well, Mr. Brown suffered a gunshot from an armour piercing round. It entered through his lower chest, just under his ribcage, and it exited in his abdomen. It damaged his spleen, and we've had to remove part of it, but none of his major organs were damaged. He lost a lot of blood, and he'll have a lengthy recovery, but, barring complications, he should recover fully."

"Oh, thank God, " Cathy heard herself whisper as she sagged against Lester.

" He is out of surgery and as soon as he is in a room, you can see him. But only for a short time.

Cathy stood next to Bobby's bed, holding his large hand. She felt comforted being with him, even in his current state. He had a monitor and IVs and an oxygen mask on, and he was still unconscious. "hey, Bobby, it's Cathy. I love you." She whispered, not knowing if he could hear her.

Her eyes stung from crying. What a role reversal this was. She was the one sitting worriedly by a bedside, and he was the one who was hurt. It was her turn to take care of him, as he had always taken care of her. Only now did she realize the helplessness Bobby had felt. But she knew he'd be ok, eventually.

She held his hand to her lips, kissing it, as she saw his beautiful chocolate brown eyes open slowly.

" Oh, Bobby, she said, " her tears rolling down her cheeks again. " I love you. I am so sorry I hurt you."

He actually raised his hand, with more strength than she imagined she'd have, as he tried weakly to brush her tears away.

She saw his mouth move, but she had to put her head right next to his mouth to hear his muffled words through the oxygen mask.

" Please, don't cry," he whispered hoarsely. " I'll be ok," he said.

That was Bobby. He's the one who's hurt and he's still trying to be strong for others.

She sniffed, and nodded and tried to wipe her eyes on her sleeve. Lester came in for a moment, just to reassure himself that Bobby really was alive. He clapped Bobby on one shoulder. " See what happens when you do a shift without me to cover your back?" he teased Bobby, his own eyes starting to sting embarrassingly. Bobby managed to grin slightly at that.

Lester clapped Bobby on the shoulder again, said, "Take it easy, man" and left them alone.

Cathy stroked Bobby's hair. "Just go to sleep. You'll be ok. And I won't leave you again."

Bobby closed his eyes again and Cathy settled next to the bed, her head next to his. A few minutes later, she joined him in sleep.


	21. Chapter 21

Bobby Meets His Match – Chapter 21

_**Too bad Bobby isn't mine, but JEs.**_

_**Sorry it has been so long. Please leave feedback, as I live for it.**_

_The old men with long beards and flowing robes were approaching the squad's location quickly. Bobby had them in the crosshairs of his rifle, just waiting, every muscle in his body on alert, for the tiniest sign that these men were armed, so he could take them down before they killed any of his men. The squad's interpreter was yelling at them in their native language, yelling at them to stop, put their hands up, but the crowd of men just kept man in the squad eyed the old men suspiciously. No one wanted to fire on innocents, but those who looked innocent often were the worst threat to the military. The terrorists often used village elders and even women to shoot soldiers or as suicide bombers. The quiet desert terrain became almost preternaturally silent, as Bobby and the second guardwatched the sandaled men approach. They had a standing order to fire as needed, but both Bobby and his fellow soldiers didn't want to kill innocents. There had been enough of that during this war. Then, just as the group of men was almost abreast of them, Bobby caught a glint of sunlight flashing off a weapon concealed under one man's robes. Suddenly, every one of the men was armed and firing back as Bobby wailed away with his rifle. It should have been an easy fight for the American troops, but as the old men opened fire, so did more men surrounding them, hiding in the nearby mountains . They were under attack from all sides…_

Cathy knew better than to take Bobby's hand as he suddenly jerked awake, his arms stiffening, his entire body rigid. She had known from the rapid beeping of the heart monitor that he was probably having a bad dream, and given what had happened the last time she'd been in bed with him during a bad dream, she made sure she wasn't within arm's reach of him.

He'd had a nightmare each of the three nights he'd been in the hospital, and she was worried. He had told her that they really affected him when he slept in a strange place. But even in the hospital? Of course, being the stupid alpha male that he was, Bobby had refused sleeping meds both nights. Maybe that would have held the dreams at bay. They seemed to be getting worse, but Cathy didn't want to push Bobby any more than she had about seeing the therapist. He wasn't a guy who responded well to being pushed.

His eyes opened, and in them she saw anger and fear as they scanned the room taking in the white walls, machines and bed. Then the fear left and the heart monitor quieted down as his brain realized that he was safe in a hospital bed, not in the desert of Afghanistan. His eyes searched the room again and they warmed as they settled on her, and a slow smile came to his face. His hand reached out for her, and once she was sure he was completely aware of his surroundings, she went to him.

" Are you still mad at me?", he asked her, stroking her hand. Apparently, after a few moments of uncertainty, he was brushing off the bad dream like it hadn't even occurred. He was so big and warm, even injured, and just being with him was comforting. Especially since she'd been so afraid she'd never see him again. She smiled and shook her head, kissing him gently.

"Damn, if I'd have known getting shot was all it took to make you forgive me, I'd have done it sooner," he joked. She couldn't joke about things like that. Not about losing him.

He kept hold of her hand and squirmed impatiently as the nurse came in to take his vitals again.

"Please, get the doctor in to discharge me, so I can get home today, " he told the confidently. The nurse just shook her head in disbelief , although she probably wanted to roll her eyes. Alpha-males always wanted to be Supermen.

Bobby was an awesome soldier, and medic, but like many soldiers and medics he was a TERRIBLE patient. He had decided that, since he was stable, the only reason to stay here was to rest and change dressings, and he could do that at home. So he was leaving.

Cathy couldn't help but chuckle. Bobby was so loving and caring, always caring for others, but he wouldn't let himself be cared for.

"Now you know how it feels when you are overprotective of others," Cathy told him.

"That's different when I do it," he said with a charming grin. Of course it was.

Bobby started to peel the EKG leads off his chest, turning off the monitor first so it wouldn't squeal. He was just getting ready to sit up, when Lester came through the door.

"Dude,!" was all Lester said, and they did that weird guy handshake thing.

Lester had been here with Cathy sitting vigil in Bobby's room for the last three days, as had many other member of Rangeman. Now he put on his blankface as he noticed Bobby struggling to get out of the bed.

Bobby winced slightly as he used his abdominals to pull himself up. "Get my clothes, man. Help me get out of here before they try to drug me up and make me eat fucking jello again."

Also, he wanted to get the hell out of here and into his own bed so he could sleep and stop having the fucking dreams, but he wasn't about to mention that.

Lester was helping him dress when the doctor came in. The doc was apparently a friend of Bobby's so he didn't look surprised to see Bobby getting ready to leave. He covered a smirk and shook his head,

"Brown, is there any point in me telling you that you should stay here so we can monitor you for infection and complications, or would I be wasting my breath?"

Bobby just gave him a look that told him he WAS indeed wasting his breath.

The doctor sighed.

"Can't you force him to stay here,?" Cathy asked , worriedly.

" I know all the signs of infection and I can get people to help change the dressings. I really would heal faster at home, especially without everyone fussing over me, " Bobby told the doctor. And with some decent cable TV, he thought.

Cathy frowned, because she'd been fussing over him, too.

He met her eyes and she smiled when he said," It's ok when you do it, baby."

The doc handed Bobby a clipboard. " Well, you are stable and a legal adult of sound mind, although there is some debate about that last part. I can't force you to stay but if you leave its AMA. " He looked at Cathy, " that means against medical advice."

Bobby grinned and signed the papers, then slapped the doc on the back even though he could only stand hunched over. "Thanks , Bill. Don't worry. I'll be fine. I'll come back at the slightest sign of infection, I promise," he lied.

Cathy wanted Bobby to lie down and rest when they got back to his apartment at Rangeman. But Bobby insisted there was no way he was going to get into bed in the middle of the morning unless she was there with him. So, she lay next to his nearly naked body, her head pillowed on his shoulder on his good side. Now that she was in his arms, it seemed like the franticness she'd harbored the last several days was gone. She felt like nothing could ever go wrong when she was wrapped in his arms.

The room was quiet and Bobby's arms were warm , and she finally let go. Tear started streaming down her face. Bobby looked puzzled for a minute, then turned to kiss her. "Why the tears?," he asked. "Shhh.. everything's ok."

" I was so scared. When we heart that you were shot in the chest, I was so scared that you would die."

She met his eyes. " I realized that that must have been how you felt when you pulled me out of the pool. How scared you were that you'd lost me. I felt the same way about you."

She was crying harder now, unable to stop herself. Bobby made soothing noises and pulled her closer to him while his free arm stroked her back. Typical Bobby., she thought. He's the one who is hurt, but he's comforting her.

"And when I heard that you got shot because McQuade messed up, I wanted to kill him," she admitted. " I didn't care about anything other than that he hurt you and so I wanted him to die. And I realized that was what you felt when you killed Scott. I'm so sorry…I don't think you are a monster for killing him anymore I love you. ." She buried her face in his chest.

" I love you, too, Bobby whispered, kissing her head.

After a moment, she looked up into his eyes with a tremulous little smile. "Except that, as much as I wanted to hurt him, I didn't act on it. I'd never do that."

Bobby grinned, "Sure you would,baby. I'll even teach you to shoot."

Bobby was glad that her tears were done, because he was really fucking in pain, although he'd never tell her that. He pulled her closer to him and closed his eyes to try to get some nightmare-free sleep.

From the moment Bobby got off the elevator he felt his lungs clench up, as if he were being smothered. He just stood in the elevator lobby for a moment, trying to drum up the courage to actually go through with it. He'd taken his own car, so he couldn't be tracked. No one knew he was coming here. He'd told Lester because he needed someone to talk him out of cancelling the appointment, like he wanted to. Lester seemed surprised, but then supportive. He knew Les would take the secret to the grave with him. . He'd even offered to come with Bobby for moral support, as if he was impressed Bobby had the courage to finally do it.

Courage? Fuck. Bobby was scared shitless. His palms were sweating and his heart was pounding. . He hadn't said anything to Cathy about this, because he didn't want to disappoint her if he couldn't go through with it. Going to a shrink, actually going to a shrink was not something he or guys like him would ever do. Sure, there were a few times in the service where , after a difficult op, the entire squad would be ordered to have a session with the team shrink. But that wasn't the same. Basically, you said nothing is wrong, you are ok, and told the shrink what they wanted to hear so you could get it over with. You didn't go to a shrink to discuss actual feelings. Hell, when it came to the war, you tried not to HAVE actual feelings. You did what you and to do, and moved on. It was the only way to survive.

In certain branches of the service going to a shrink, even once, disqualified you from service. That's the way it was in the SEALS. Going to a shrink meant you couldn't handle your problems, like you were fucking mentally unstable, and weak. He didn't want ANYONE to know he had come here. Hell, he didn't even go through insurance, he was paying cash, so there would be no record of this visit. Two hundred bucks for a shrink was fucking insane anyway.

Bobby walked down the thickly, plushly carpeted hallway towards the heavy oak door. How the hell was he supposed to tell a total stranger he thoughts and feelings.? Whatever you say, they'd look at you with that superior shrink look and fucking psychoanalyze every damn thing you say.

And how the fuck was some shrink who had never been there, never been shot at, never seen their friends blown to pieces in front of them, be able to analyze him and tell him there was something wrong with him. He wasn't a normal guy. If he was, he'd never have survived what he did. That didn't make him crazy. They'd find some way to make you crazy.

All he needed was a strategy. He intended to say as little as possible. Maybe he could claim that everything was classified and he couldn't talk about it. Then he could at least tell Cathy he'd tried it, right.

He rubbed his sweaty palms on his jeans. He deliberately avoided wearing anything overtly military. Just jeans, and a blue long sleeve shirt pulled out to give his still healing wound some space. It also enabled him to carry his gun concealed. Not that he was going to need a gun. He wasn't fucking postal. Its just that he had a gun with him everywhere he went. If that made him crazy, so be it.

Bobby stopped in front of the oak door and took a deep , slow breath, as he had learned to calm himself in both medic and sniper schools. " You are not a coward, deal with this," he told himself. He opened the door and entered an office painted a gentle beige, with upscale furniture, fake vases of flowers, pictures of fucking sunsets on the walls. That and the fucking piped in classical music playing low in the office were obviously meant to soothe the mentally unstable. Even the air in here smelled high class. How the hell was any shrink that worked HERE going to understand what he went through over there?

He walked to the desk and was told to fill out a questionnaire. Questionairre? Fuck. He didn't even want to use his real name. He'd thought of using an alias, but, that didn't seem like an honest way to go to therapy with a false name. The paper asked a lot of " are you sometimes angry" type questions designed to fool you into giving something away. He circled "no" for everything.

Bobby stood, leaning against the wall, too anxious to sit. He stifled the urge to run out of here and they could keep the fucking $200. He was scared of having someone label him crazy. But worse, he was scared that if all of those horrible things that he buried down so deep that they only were allowed in his subconscious came into his consciousness, he really would go crazy. He really would turn into an evil monster. But he had to do this to show Cathy how much he loved her.

He only waited about 10 minutes before the shrink popped her head out of the closed inner door.

"Bobby Brown, right?," she said in a soothing voice. Bobby forced himself to move away from the wall, keeping his hands from shaking as he followed her into the inner office.


	22. Chapter 22

Bobby Meets His Match- Chapter 22

_This chapter is different from the others. No action. I think it reflects how a guy like Bobby would feel about baring his soul. Or not. _

_Please leave feedback, as I live for it._

The office was just as lush and soothing as the waiting area had been, minus the elevator music. The room was covered in thick carpet, one side had a large desk, the other an easy chair and a, holy shit, an actual fucking couch. There were also a couple of nice lamps and a big window with a nice fourth floor view.

This room was more smothering than the waiting area, although the obvious intent was to make the patient relaxed and calm. It had the opposite effect on Bobby . It made him nervous. This staid, civilized world was totally different from the world he had come from. No one in this world would even understand anything that he'd seen and done in that hellhole.

The psychologist was pretty, blonde, tall, probably late thirties. She had on a suit with pants and high heels. Bobby, being a heterosexual guy, couldn't help but notice her amazing breasts, though she didn't make any obvious effort to emphasize them. Lester would be drooling over her, but Bobby didn't think anyone was as pretty as Cathy. How the hell could this polished, cool, calm woman have any idea what he was feeling. Shit. Some of the stuff he saw was so graphic and crude, he couldn't talk about things like that to a woman. But she was supposed to specialize in helping veterans, so… she just better not expect him to lie on that damn couch.

" You can sit anywhere you feel comfortable," , the psychologist, Dr. Byrnes, said pointing to the two pieces of furniture. Bobby didn't feel comfortable anywhere in this office, but he sat down on the edge of the armchair. He felt his heart racing, the healing wound in his abdomen throbbing as it hadn't in days. Why the hell was he so scared? He'd been scared lots of times in battle when faced with the possibility of death, but somehow the possibility of having to deal with his memories scared him even more.

She gestured to the bulge under his shirt. "I'm sorry, we don't allow weapons in here." What? She already was afraid he was going to flip out and fucking go postal? She already thought he was crazy. Bobby didn't go anywhere without his gun.

"Sorry ma'am, I don't go anywhere without my gun, but if it makes you nervous, I'll unload it. " Fuck. If this lady was spooked by a gun, she's sure as hell going to be spooked by any of the stuff he could say to her. He drew his gun from the holster, keeping it pointed at the ground and quickly popped out the loaded ammo clip and laid it on the table, glad to have a familiar task to calm him. Then he pulled the slide to clear the round from the chamber, and laid the now empty gun, slide open, on the table with the ammo. He placed it in the center of the table directly in front of him, as if just seeing it and knowing he could get to it quickly comforted him.

"Thank –you" she said. Bobby just sat on the edge of the chair, feeling naked and vulnerable without his weapon. For several minutes, the room was perfectly quiet except for the ticking of the clock and the sound of the air conditioner. He didn't talk, he didn't know what to even say. He didn't want to say anything. He waited, in his preternatural silence, and watched the hands on the clock.

It was only a 50 minute session. At first he'd balked at paying $200 for a 50 minute hour, but now he was glad. If he could just sit here and wait for her to say something, he could burn off time. Shit. He was always patient, but now the time couldn't go fast enough.

He got up and went over to the window, favoring his wounded side and trying not to let it show. The window had no lock. THIS he knew, this he felt comfortable talking about. "You know, you should have a lock on this window, anyone could get in there." Ok, he sounded like a fucking moron talking about the damn window, but he'd talk about ANYTHING to use up the time.

"We are on the fourth floor," the doctor said quietly.

Wow. This woman really had no clue about the world of the soldier, did she? Anyone in Special Forces could get in that window without breaking a sweat. If she didn't even realize that, how the hell could she understand things in his world?

" Not hard for someone to climb up here from the ground. And you are only one floor down from the roof. Easy to climb down."

She smiled at him indulgently, like he was a small child. She was patronizing him, shit he hated that.

"I'll keep that in mind," she said.

Dr. Byrnes just waited, staring at him as he sat down again and he felt like a specimen being examined under glass. He usually liked silence, but now it seemed uncomfortable. He cleared his throat, but didn't say a thing. She leafed through the paperwork he had filled out when he first got there.

She was fascinated by this man- this type of man. He clearly did not want to be here. She noticed that as soon as he'd come in, he'd visually assessed the room, a habit of men in combat. Strong men never wanted to admit they had any type of weakness or vulnerability. And now, well, he was trying to talk about the one thing he felt comfortable talking about to avoid the topic he didn't want to talk about. He would clearly rather be anywhere than here. So why was he?

" You kow that whatever we speak about here today is completely confidential. I cannot discuss what you say or what we talk about with anyone, so you can feel comfortable being honest with me. Since you aren't using insurance, no one will need to know you are coming here."

She looked at the dissembled gun on the table. " However, if you threaten to harm yourself, or someone else, I am legally required to notify the authorities and notify the person you threaten to harm. Do you understand that?"

Bobby nodded and hid a wince. What did she think he was some kind of monster? Like he just ran around fucking killing people? He'd never killed anyone that hadn't fucking needed killing. Besides, if he WAS going to kill someone, he sure as fuck wouldn't tell her.

He could already tell this wasn't going to work, and he fought the urge to leave, but he didn't. He had never quit anything in his life and he wasn't going to start now. He had to try this, for Cathy.

"So, Bobby, since you didn't fill in any of the personal information on the forms, why don't you tell me a little about yourself?

Shit. Here we go. What was he supposed to say? "Um, well, ma'am, my name is Bobby Brown and I work for a security company in Trenton."

She smiled and nodded encouragingly like he was a fucking two year old. Bobby hated when people did that. He glanced at his watch. Only 36 more minutes. Why did it seem like forever? Bobby had once been on a recon mission where he had laid on his belly in mud for 28 hours doing recon, and the time hadn't bothered him then. He could have stayed there as long as necessary. So why the hell did 36 minutes feel like forever now?

When he didn't say anything else for a few minutes, she prodded. " So, Bobby , what do you do for the company? I don't see it listed here."

"Um, I am a security expert. I service accounts and I am the company medic." Shit. Bobby drew a slow, deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart, as he tried not to go down that path she was trying to drag him, a path he didn't not want to follow.

Dr. Byrnes tried not to smile. A medic. Interesting. And a soldier. And he paid cash for the session. Her secretary had pointed that out to her right away, since it was so unusual. This man was not only closed as a stone, he was incredibly private, almost over so.

"Medic? Did you have training for that? Were you an EMT?" she asked, trying to drag something out of him.

"Yes, ma'am, I have medic training," was all he said.

There was that ma'am again. Was he just being polite, or did he see her as being in a position of authority over him?

"That must be a challenging job, caring for the needs of the whole company."

"Yes, ma'am, it can be," he replied.

"Ok, "Bobby thought, " 25 minutes to go. So far it hadn't been too bad. He could get through this. He'd gotten through BUD/S hadn't he? And this was just as painful for his mind as BUD/S had been for his body. He glanced longingly at the door again, imagining just leaving now. He took a deep breath.

"Bobby, you don't have to call me ma'am. You can call me Dr. Byrnes. According to the forms you filled out, you never feel sad, or angry, or embarrassed, or ashamed or depressed." She smiled, trying to put him at ease. "You must be superhuman then, since all the rest of us feel those things sometimes."

Bobby just looked at her. That wasn't a question, what did she expect him to say? That he tried to avoid feeling those things? That he was afraid if he DID feel those things, they would overwhelm him? He looked again at the clock . 22 minutes, thirty five seconds to go.

Another minute of complete silence. Bobby seemed like he could sit there in silence the whole session. He was going to be one of her more challenging patients. She tried to get him to open up again, but keeping to a topic where he felt safe.

"So, what kinds of things does a medic for a security company do, where did you get your training?"

"Um, I patch up employees who get hurt. Or shot. " He smiled, thinking of Stephanie. "Some of them get hurt a Lot. I make sure the employees all have basic first aid training for when they go into the field."

"It sounds like you spend a lot of your time caring for other people. But you also carry a gun."

"yes, ma,uh Dr. Byrnes. I frequently am in the field responding to security calls, pursuing those who skip out on their bail bonds. I need to be armed."

19minutes, eight seconds. He felt her pulling him down towards the abyss where he didn't want to go. He looked at the door, then his empty gun. He felt himself getting nervous again and stood up, standing by the edge of the armchair. More silence. And more silence. 17 minutes.

"So, Bobby, why did you come today?" she asked, getting to the point finally.

Fuck. Still 15 minutes and 22 seconds to go. His mind was reeling, wanting to answer the question without…

"Um, I came for my girlfriend. Um, I mean, she wanted me to come."

"She wanted you to come? But you didn't want to come."

"No. " 15 minutes. He took a deep breath.

"Why does your girlfriend want you to come?"

Bobby took a deep breath, held it, exhaled slowly.

"She , um, wants me to come because I had a bad dream." More than one. But fuck that, he wasn't going to say that.

"A bad dream? About what?"

Fuck. 12 minutes. Maybe if he spoke S-L-O-W-L-Y he could , oops, run out of time, then he could reassemble his gun, get his ass through that door, and never come back again. He could tell Cathy he went to a shrink, and she'd be happy and he'd never have to come back here again. End of story.

"I had a dream about the war," he said, using the Rangeman specialty of being cryptic.

"The war? You were in the military? " Special forces, she's guess.

"Um, NAVY SEAL. "

"Iraq? Afghanistan?"

10 minutes. Bobby fell back on the old tried and true. " Um, yeah, most of it's classified." Remnants of the dreams he'd had flashed through his mind. H did NOT want to go there.

Silence. More silence.

" How did your girlfriend know you had a dream about the war?" she asked, already knowing the answer. She'd worked with a lot of veterans, and she knew that just because a soldier left the war, that didn't mean the war left the soldier.

Bobby hesitated. "She was um, there when I had a dream and it scared her. " he thought for a moment, then muttered, "I scared her."

"I see," Dr. Byrnes said.

Bobyy hated when shrinks always said"I see" in such a knowing, judgmental way. Always trying to psychoanalyze you.

4 minutes. Bobby just sat, silent. Still silent.

"Did the dream bother you?" she asked.

Bobby shrugged, then decided to use Lester's comment. "Its just a dream. You wake up and it goes away."

Dr. Byrnes looked at him knowingly.

"Well, I know you are not comfortable sharing your thoughts. But I have worked with a number of veterans who have dreams and other combat related issues. I think I can help you if you want to continue to see me."

Bobby shrugged noncommittally. He didn't want to think about coming back. All he could think of was getting the hell out of here. The doctor's phone buzzed, signaling the end of the session.

Bobby gestured towards towards his gun on the table , and Dr. Byrnes nodded. He sat down in front of his gun and grabbed it like a drowning man grabs a life jacket, reloaded it, and put it back in his holster. He could finally breathe a sigh of relief. He felt strong and in control when he was wearing his gun.

Dr. Bynes stood and handed him one of her business cards. " You can make an appointment on your way out. Or just call me."

Bobby took the card, nodded and left the office. No way in hell was he coming back here.

Lester gave Bobby a sideways glance. He knew Bobby had had his shrink appointment this morning, and he was dying to know how it went but you couldn't just fucking ask something like that. It must have sucked, though, because as soon as Bobby had come in to Rangeman, he'd gone straight to the shooting range and emptied several 15 round semi auto clips into the manshaped targets. It was a pistol range, so they couldn't use auto rifles, but Bobby was shooting his pistol rapid fire, obviously working off some stress from the appointment. Fuck. He had good aim, despite firing so quickly, almost all his shots would have been kill shots. When Bobby had spent his initial tension, he'd reloaded his service pistol and come out with Lester to service their accounts.

Finally Les just manned up and asked.

"Dude? Did you actually wind up going to see the shrink?" he asked casually, even though he knew.

"Yeah, but if you fucking tell anyone I'll fucking kill you," Bobby retorted. He knew Les wouldn't ever tell anyone, but he was making sure.

"So, was he like an old guy with a pipe? Did he make you lie on a couch," Lester teased, trying to get Bobby to spill. He admired Bobby for going. Lester knew HE'd never go to a shrink.

'Actually, asshole, it was a woman. She was blonde and stacked, kinda pretty actually. Totally your type."

"Blonde and stacked, and pretty?" What a damn shame. Lester would never even GO to a shrink, let alone date one.

"Are you going to tell Cathy? You know she'd love to hear that," Les asked.

" Probably not. If I tell her I went once, she expect me to go again, and I sure as fuck am not doing that."

Maybe he could tell her he'd gone but didn't think the shrink thing was going to work out. But then he'd feel like a failure to her. Fuck. Today had been hard enough, and he hadn't talked about any of the bad shit. He loved Cathy, but he didn't honestly know if he could do it. Even for her.


	23. Chapter 23

Bobby Meets His Match- Chapter 23

I don't own Bobby, except in my dreams. Cathy is totally my creation. Sorry it has been so long since I updated. In this chapter, we discover that, as sweet as he can be, Bobby is still a guy.

**Please leave feedback, as I live for it.**

Since her run in with Anders, Bobby had been even more concerned than unusual about Cathy's safety. Just because that fucker Anders was dead, didn't mean that some other asshole couldn't break into her apartment or accost her outside it. Cathy was a social worker and sometimes worked with the dregs of humanity. It wasn't outside the realm of probability that one of her clients could find out where she lived. Bobby had bought her a new deadbolt for her door, but that alone didn't make her apartment safe. All anyone had to do was break a window, or jimmy a lock, and she would be helpless.

Bobby decided that Cathy had to learn to shoot. It was one other way he could protect her. Not just for her own safety. He was finding himself constitutionally unable to date a girl who couldn't at least fire a gun. He wasn't expecting her to go running through the streets like Dirty Harry after bad guys, but he did want her to be able to defend herself in her home if she had to. It had never been an issue with a woman before, since Bobby had only ever had sex with women before and never developed enough of a relationship to care.

The building where Cathy worked had a Rangeman security system, but otherwise the security was lax. There was no metal detector, no security guard, nothing to prevent any fucking scum from bringing in anyfucking thing they wanted to. Just a few months ago, prior to the installation of the Rangeman security system of course, the building had been frequently vandalized.

He couldn't risk almost losing her again, as he had before. He would do anything to keep her safe. Hell, he'd killed for her, teaching her to shoot wouldn't be so bad.

He'd thought about getting her to take self defense classes, but she was little, and hand to hand combat with small women never turned out well for the woman. But a gun was the big equalizer. Bobby wanted Cathy to learn to shoot a gun, and then he'd buy her one.

He knew that most women didn't like guns, and he knew that she in particular might not want to fire one. Hell, even Steph hated guns, and she was in a job where she should use one. Bobby chuckled. Hell, maybe he could teach Cathy and Steph at the same time. He quickly nixed that idea. There was no way he was getting the two of them together around him. They had become friends, and he knew they'd gang up on him about therapy, or not talking, or whatever. THAT was a battle that he couldn't win.

Bobby looked sideways at Lester as he wound his way through the downtown Trenton traffic.

He had told Lester of his idea to get Cathy a gun and teach her to shoot.

" There is no fucking way you will get her to do it. Not a chance in hell," Les challenged Bobby.

" Oh, I can be pretty persuasive when I want to be, " Bobby replied. " Besides, look at the facts. Its only logical."

Lester rolled his eyes. " Dude, since when have women ever fucking used logic? At least real logic. She was horrified that you beat Scott up. I can't imagine her willingly firing a gun," Lester said.

Bobby smiled smugly. "She'll do it. For me. "

Lester eyed him dubiously. " $ 50 bucks says you can't talk her into doing it," he challenged. Lester was always betting on everything. It could be pretty fucking annoying, since most of the bets seemed to be about Bobby.

Bobby was seriously considering starting a "when will Bobby lose patience with Lester and punch him in the fucking mouth" poll." He loved Lester, but damn…

Still, he was being challenged. And there was no way he could turn down that bet and have his manhood survive intact.

Besides, he knew he had the secret weapon. He'd tell Cathy he'd gone to therapy, then she'd be so happy she'd learn to shoot in return.

Bobby smirked and said, "You're on."

Bobby knocked on Cathy's apartment door. He'd showed up unexpectedly with take out. That should score him points. Women always liked it when men did spontaneous shit, right? He knocked again. He couldn't wait to see her. He had a hard on the size of Mount Fucking Everest from the moment he'd started thinking about being alone with her tonight. He was puzzled that she didn't answer. Her car had been in the lot, so he knew she was home. His eyes flickered towards the pool, remembering the last time he'd showed up unexpectedly. But no, the pool was empty. After the fourth knock, Bobby decided she was probably in the shower, and let himself in.

At first, he was greeted by a huge ball of fur that rubbed up against him and yeowled. Now he knew where the term "caterwauled" came from. He locked the door behind him and crossed the living room, as he heard the water running in the shower. Bobby smiled in anticipation, and set the take out on the kitchen counter. He walked towards the bathroom, beginning to pull off his shirt, then his boots, and shirt. He entered the steamy bathroom and she squealed in surprise as he pulled the shower door open.

Cathy screamed in shock when she saw Bobby, the shock quickly turning to desire as she gazed at his muscular naked chest. She hadn't heard anyone come in, but she knew Bobby could be unbelieveably silent. He took the washcloth and the tube of shower gel from her, saying, "need some help?"

He kissed her at the same time that his hand dropped down between her thighs, using the washcloth to gently rub her. Then, the washcloth dropped from his hand as his fingers started to work their magic. His mouth covered her nipple and he suckled hard, pushing her up against the shower wall. Her eyes rolled back and she gasped as his fingers took her to the edge, she squinted as the warmth of the hot water and Bobby's mouth enveloped her. He and left her hovering there. It wasn't until she begged, " Please Bobby, please" that he brought her over the edge. No sooner had his fingers moved than he knelt and his mouth covered her.

Bobby's mouth worked his magic. Cathy's last rational thought before she fell into the abyss again was the hope that they wouldn't run out of hot water. Bobby held her while her body trembled, his tongue torturing her.

Cathy's legs had turned to jelly, only Bobby holding her upright against the wall. His erection was huge and he entered her hard, and fast, pushing her harder against the wall. Cathy felt herself being filled with him. His lips met hers again and she tasted herself on him. She couldn't thrust as she was trapped against the wall, so she just stood there while Bobby thrusted, hard and fast. His head was back and his eyes were closed, an expression of sheer bliss on his face. One final thrust and he shouted, gripping her hard as he came inside her. He fell against her, his head bowed, kissing her shoulder, as they both stood there, recovering. It was the now only slightly warm water, bordering on cold, that forced them to leave the shower, towel each other off erotically, and head for the food. One hunger had been sated, another remained.

Bobby winced as Cathy held the gun with two fingers, hanging down in front of her, as if she were loathe to touch it. How the hell could she fire it if she couldn't even hold it? Bobby sighed. He was a very patient man, but he knew he had his work cut out for him.

He was just greatful that he'd gotten her here to the range. After they'd had amazing sex, and then amazing food, he'd told her how concerned he was for her safety, how he couldn't bear to have her hurt again. He asked her if she'd do " a favor to him" by learning to shoot a gun. He had to know she could protect herself If he wasn't there to protect her.

She had balked of course, saying she didn't like guns, wasn't comfortable around them. He said that he hadn't felt comfortable- in fact, felt decidedly UNcomfortable going to therapy, but he had to please her. He was pretty sure he had just secured his spot in hell for using that against her, but hey, if she could make him do something, he should be able to make her.

He had decided he was scum of the earth when he saw the look of delight on her face at the news that he had gone to therapy. Fuck. Her eyes lit up and she smiled and hugged him, then kissed him. " I am so glad," she said, hugging him. Ok, so he felt guilty for allowing her to misinterpret that, but he hadn't actually LIED- he'd gone, that should be worth something.

So, now, having lured her here to the range with true but misleading information, Bobby decided that this particular mission was going to take a lot of time. He gently took her hand, still holding the pistol as if it were a sack of shit, and guided the pistol to an appropriate firing position. "Honey, you can't shoot something if you aren't pointing the gun at it." He extended her arms, and stood behind her, his arms wrapped around behind her. He had to concentrate on what he was doing and ignore the raging hard on he had from being so close to her. Plus, a chick with a gun was totally hot.

In his peripheral vision, he saw Lester, pretending to be busy "counting the rounds of ammunition" but not exactly subtley watching them. Bobby had smirked at him as he had led Cathy into the Rangeman gun range, rubbing his first and second fingers against his thumb in the universal symbol for money behind his back, indicating that he had won the bet. Lester smirked at him in return.

"Cathy, Its good to see you," Lester had said, giving her a massive hug and a kiss, obviously trying to make Bobby jealous. Cathy looked just as happy to see him. The two of them had obviously bonded when Bobby had gotten shot. While part of him was happy that his best friend and the love of his life got along so well, but most of him didn't want to see Lester kiss his woman. " I didn't know you liked shooting," Lester commented innocently to her, making a face at Bobby.

She smiled beautifully, and Lester found himself actually jealous of Bobby for having a woman like her to love him. She gazed up at Bobby. " Well, Bobby did something very special because I wanted him to, so I guess I need to return the favor," She'd beamed. "And he really wants me to learn to shoot."

Lester smiled, and taunted Bobby by saying, " Bobby is like that. Selflessly doing things for others with no regard for himself," Lester said sarcastically. Bobby mouthed the words "fuck you, asshole" at Lester over Cathy's head. Then Lester had excused himself to "count the bullets" and retreated to the supply section of the range, where he could still watch them.

He covered her hands with his, demonstrating the correct hand position on the gun. He guided her finger to the trigger, trying to teach her to "squeeze it" rather than 'pull it." His arms helped absorb some of the small recoil that came from the gun, allowing her to gently feel it but not letting it overwhelm her.

"see, you just gently squeeze the trigger until it goes off," he told her. " Pistols are a little easier on the trigger but a revolver is the best "first gun" for a woman. Its simple, easy to load, and there is no chance it will jam as pistols sometimes do," he told her. She tried to be attentive, really wanting to do something he wanted her to do. It made Bobby feel even more like a heel for misleading her.

Bobby managed to make it through another hour at the range, with his arms around her, without lowering her to the table and fucking her senseless. It had been a close call, but he knew the range, like everywhere else at Rangeman had cameras, and he sure as fuck didn't want the other guys seeing Cathy naked. His dick was as hard as a rock, and he knew she felt it pressing up against her ass.

They went upstairs to his place and he fulfilled that fantasy of fucking her senseless. In the aftermath of their lovemaking, she sighed and said, " I still can't believe you went to therapy. I am so proud of you," as she kissed him deeply. " I know that it will really help you."

Ok, Bobby had thought going to therapy had been the worst thing he'd experienced so far in his life, but he'd just found something worse. The feeling he was going to have when he disappointed the woman he loved. He kissed her mouth, then his lips moved lower as his tried to feed his insatiable appetite for her. "Shit, I am totally fucked," was his last thought before he actually was.


	24. Chapter 24

Bobby Meets His Match -Chapter 24

I don't own Bobby, or any of the characters except Cathy.

_This chapter contains some possibly disturbing views on war. Having never been in a war personally, I can never know firsthand what horrors our soldiers go through to fight. I have however, read many memoirs and books on the subject, and I hope my representation of Bobby's feelings does justice to the portrayals I have read. This chapter is just in time for Veteran's Day, so I must dedicate this chapter and story to all the men and women who have fought and died to keep others safe, especially the soldiers now in Afghanistan. Sometimes it is those who survive who bear the biggest burden._

_Please leave feedback, as I live for it._

Bobby grabbed Lew McDermott under one arm and tried to cuff him as gently as possible. Lester grabbed the man under his other arm and they carefully walked him to the SUV. Neither Les nor Bobby could look at each other, or at McDermott, they kept their gazes on the ground. McDermott was a veteran of the second Iraq war, highly decorated, and the recipient of a Purple Heart. He'd had a hard time adjusting when he got home though. He drank a lot and had torn up a bar, and had a couple of assault charges, violated restraining orders. Most recently he had almost killed a guy in a bar fight. When he skipped bail they had chased him into the narrows, where he'd been hiding out in a tiny cabin. Bobby and Les had spent an hour trying to talk him into giving himself up, and when he wouldn't they had to resort to tazing him, then picked him up and walked him almost reverently to the car. He was one of them, their brother in arms.

After dropping McDermott off at the station, there was complete silence in the car. Not the usual complete silence they were used to, but the avoidance type of silence. Bobby drove, his mind only partially on the road. He knew Lester was thinking the same thing he was. That either of them could wind up exactly like McDermott. But McDermott was crazy, violent, and dangerous. Nothing like Bobby. Bobby had dreams, so what. He wasn't a drunk, and he didn't hurt people unless they deserved it. He protected people. Dreams were just dreams. They went away when you woke up. Mostly. So what if they had been coming almost constantly in the last few weeks, sometimes even in the daytime. It was only because that damn trip to the therapist stirred them all up. Still,… Bobby looked sidelong at Lester, and saw that Lester was looking at him the same way. He knew Lester would never say anything, but he was wondering the same thing. Were they looking at another version of what they could become? No, Bobby shrugged the thought away. He was nothing like McDermott. He never would be.

The silence had almost returned to its normal comfortable state by the time they got back to Rangeman. They reported in to Ranger, and they decided to call the judge to see if instead of sending Mcdermott to jail , sending him to a PTSD treatment program. They all remained blankfaced, none of them wanting to draw the parallels between McDermott and themselves. Bobby knew that he and Lester and Ranger had some issues, but they were nothing like McDermott.

Bobby was in the back of one of the SUV's, taking inventory of the medical supplies and checking equipment. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't hear any noise behind him and he jumped when arms came around his neck from behind. For an nanosecond, he instinctively started to duck and whirl when he smelled Steph's perfume and felt her lips kiss his cheek from behind. He forced himself to quickly relax and hugged her carefully. "Hey, Bomber, to what do I owe the pleasure of that kiss?" Steph smiled. "Its because you are such a wonderful man. Cathy is lucky to have you."

"Oh, fuck, " Bobby thought. Steph talking to Cathy was probably not a good thing. He smiled. " Not as lucky as I am to have her," he said honestly. Stephanie answered his question before he had a chance to ask it. " We met for lunch today," Steph said. Damn. He hadn't known they were that good of friends. "She told me that you are teaching her to shoot, and we commiserated about that." Steph laughed. "She hates guns even more than I do, but she said she really wants to learn to make you happy since you are going to therapy for her." Steph stopped and hugged him again. "I am so glad you are going Bobby. I told you Cathy would be ok with it. I am so proud of you for facing the dreams. And Cathy said she knows that it must be hard for a guy like you to admit you need help, so she knows you must really love her ."

Shit. Shit. Shit. THIS was why he hadn't wanted the two of them together. He'd been afraid of this, that they'd gang up on him. How the hell was he supposed to resist a double assault from the two women he loved the most? Steph was so damned happy, and he knew Cathy was thrilled. He felt like a fucking douchebag. Yes, he'd gone once, and he'd rather be tortured than go there again.

"She said she's even going to let you buy her a gun and she'll carry it, even though it makes her uncomfortable. She knows how important her safety is to you."

Now he felt like pond scum. Lower. But how could he go back. He'd barely made it through one session.

"Well, um, Steph, I'm glad it made her happy , but…, well, I wasn't planning to go back." He hated himself for saying it. He wasn't a quitter.

Steph touched his arm, and looked into his deep brown eyes. "Bobby, I am so proud of you for going. I know how difficult it must have been for a guy like you to admit you might need some help." His eyes left hers. "Just give it a chance Bobby. Give you and Cathy a chance to have happiness without this between you. I love you, Bobby , and I want to see the two of you happy. Please, do it for Cathy , and me." She hugged him tightly and then left.

The complete silence of the garage was interrupted by a loud thunk as Bobby threw the defibrillator battery against the wall. "Fuck!" he hissed. He loved Cathy so much and he wanted to make her happy. He was going to have to do this, no matter what it cost him.

Bobby took a long, slow breath and forced himself to go through that door once again. He was even more nervous this time than he had been the last. He knew how bad the last session had been, and he was afraid that this one was going to bring some of his demons to life. And he couldn't let Cathy down. She'd learned to shoot a gun, that she was terrified of, to please him. Now he had to do this, really do this, for her. He didn't know if she loved him enough to stay with him if he didn't. But he wasn't sure she would love the Bobby Brown that might emerge if Bobby went back there.

Dr. Bynes looked out into her waiting room and saw the huge man, Bobby Brown. He looked handsome, but weary in a plaid shirt and jeans. He was wearing his gun. He was muscular, his muscles showed even through a long sleeved shirt. She sighed. This was going to be tough. Their last session had been a disaster, and she hadn't expected to ever see him again. He must really love his girlfriend to come again to face his weaknesses for her. The ones who were the strongest in battle were the ones damaged the most. She put a smile on her face and opened the door to the waiting room.

Bobby leaned against the wall, too restless to sit down. He felt suffocated by the perfumelike scent of the place, the refined furniture. He was taking slow, deep breaths to calm himself, a trick he'd learned to calm himself as a sniper. He'd faced Taliban eye to eye and not been as scared, as terrified, as he was with the prospect of facing his demons. He straightened and walked hesitantly into the inner office as Dr. Bynes opened the door.

Dr, Bynes watched as Bobby moved lithely, efficienty into the room. Before she could even say anything, he drew his gun, dropped out the magazine, pulled the slide to clear the chamber, and placed it, slide open to prove it was unloaded, in the center of the round table. He looked uncomfortably at the chair, then moved to the wall and leaned against it, looking out the window.

"Bobby, I'm glad you came back. You remember the rules of our sessions correct. "Its confidential unless I threaten to hurt myself or someone else, and no guns." He looked at his gun on the table and shrugged. "Why did you decide to come back," she asked.

Bobby was quiet for a long moment, and she was afraid he was going to play a game of "let the clock run out so you don't have to say anything" like he did last time. "I'm here because my girlfriend wants me to come. She learned to shoot because I wanted her to, and this is the payback." So it was like losing a bet to him. Interesting. "Why does she want you to come?" She knew this already, it was one of the few things he had told her last time, but she wanted him to say it again. He needed to hear himself say it again.

Bobby looked back toward the round table, as if needing to see that his gun was still there." I have bad dreams and I scared her. " He paused. " I almost hurt her," he said quietly. "But I would never hurt her. She knows that. I will always protect her. I would do anything for her." He seemed on a roll, as if he needed to reassure himself. " I take care of Stephanie, she trusts me with her life. I don't hurt people."

He ran his hand through his hair and walked slowly to the chair directly in front of the round table. He sat up straight, on the edge of the seat, his hands open on his knees.

"Why don't we start by you telling me about your family." Bobby looked at her in disbelief.

"What the hell does my family have to do with anything? What , do you expect me to blame my problems on them, like I became a killer because I didn't get enough toys as a child or some shit? Well, it isn't. It has nothing to do with my family?"

Bobby's eyes narrowed and his body tensed. "This is exactly why everyone hates shrinks." He said accusingly. Ouch.

"Why do you hate shrinks, Bobby?"

"Because they always try to make you think you are crazy. They twist everything you say and make it seem like you are a psychopath. They make you doubt yourself." That would be hard for a guy like Bobby. His body was strong, but he really valued his mind. If he thought he couldn't trust his mind, he would have nothing left to trust. In the world of the soldier self doubt and hesitation meant death.

He'd said more in the last 10 minutes than he had in the entire last session. Time to try to get something done here. Still, she could tell he was horribly uncomfortable. He finally was willing to face his problem, but he had learned to be on the offensive. Boxed into a corner, he'd come out fighting.

"So tell me about the military. What did you do?"

" I was a SEAL. A sniper."

"In Iraq?"

"Yes, and later in Afghanistan."

This was like pulling teeth, she thought. But at least he was talking.

" A sniper. So you shot people."

Bobby looked her right in the eyes. His were calm, unashamed. But his voice was a little defensive

" I didn't shoot people. I eliminated targets."

"Targets?", she asked in that self righteous voice therapists always used.

"Terrorists," Bobby answered. " I didn't shoot people. I shot terrorists." Bobby was so adamant about the difference.

"What did you feel when you shot a terrorist?" she asked, trying to get him to open up.

He looked her right in the eyes, his expression completely blank. "Recoil," he said quietly, hoping to shock her.

"Look, what do you want me to say? That it bothered me to shoot terrorists? Well, it didn't. I was a good sniper and proud of it. I didn't LIKE killing terrorists. I'm not a sociopath. But it sure as hell didn't bother me, either. It bothered me not to kill them because they came back to kill my friends. It was my job to kill them before they killed my teammates."

Bobby saw the brief look in her eyes before she squelched it. He was rationalizing. Bobby was a good man. She'd bet killing anyone, even a terrorist, would bother him. But he'd had to train himself not to care so he could do his job effectively.

He got defensive, his language getting coarse as he tried to scare her off. His temper , held in check below the surface flared. " Look, this isn't going to work. How the fuck can you understand what was normal about being over there. Were you ever over there? Here you are in your posh little office trying to tell me what's real about war. Have you ever had to lay in your own filth for three days because if you got up to piss your head would get shot off? Have you ever watched your buddy die, then run over and strip his body of ammunition so you could keep shooting? Have you ever hoped you would die instead of having one of your teammates die? No? I didn't think so. So who the fuck do you think you are to tell me what is normal in war. War isn't fucking normal."

He paused to control his temper, then, back to his polite self, he met her eyes and nodded towards the table. At her nod, he sat and reassembled and reloaded his gun, his defenses now back in place. Despite his outburst, she was happy. Bobby had started to open up, started to actually let some of his feelings out.

She stood up and met him before he opened the door. "Bobby, I have never been at war. I have never been in those types of horrible situations. But I can help , give it a chance."

Bobby's dark, fathomless eyes searched her face for a moment. Then he nodded briefly and went out the door.


	25. Chapter 25

Bobby Meets His Match- Chapter 25

_Sorry, I noticed it has been TWO YEARS since I worked on this. All I can say in my defense is time got away from me? But I have always planned to finish this story. This chapter is a short one, to transition and get back into the groove. I promise to post again more regularly. _

_I hope I haven't lost my mojo. Please leave feedback, as I love it. Bobby isn't mine, but Cathy is. _Cathy smiled as she put the finishing touches on her outfit for the evening. She was wearing a sexy, long sleeved, gauzy white top with a princess neckline that just showed a small hint of her breasts, and a short midthigh black skirt and four inch black peep toe heels that gave the illusion that her shapely legs were a mile long. A screaming red toenail polished with "Siren" that Bobby especially liked peeked out of the peep toe of her shoes. She never thought that her legs were that sexy, but Bobby absolutely loved her legs. He also loved when she wore a short skirt, not just because of her legs, but because it gave him, " easy access" as he called it. Bobby was sweet, but he was still such a guy. The outfit was sexy, flirty, and could go from casual to more formal easily, which was good, since she had no idea where they were going.

Bobby had called her this afternoon, telling her he had a surprise for her for their date tonight, something she would really love. Despite her prodding, he had refused to tell her what, or even give her hints, he had just told her he loved her and would see her later. She figured it was his way of making it up to her for the slight distance between them lately.

Not that they had fought, because they hadn't. In fact, Bobby had been sweet and loving as always. She put the finishing touches on her "smokey eyes" eye makeup that had taken her forever to do. Bobby always told her she was beautiful without " all that stuff" but she wanted to be so sexy she drove him out of his mind tonight. Then, maybe he would tell her what was going on, why he had been so "intense" lately. She chuckled to herself. Well, Bobby was always intense, and had become even more overprotective since he had rescued her from 's just how Bobby was- intense about caring for the people he loved. But the past few weeks, it had been beyond intense. It was like a little bit of a distance, he seemed distracted, like something was bothering him and he refused to tell her what it was. He was quieter even than usual. He denied anything was wrong but when she pressed, he said it was "nothing for her to worry about " and then distracted her with incredible sex.

She felt her self almost tingle at the thought of how amazing the sex had been. Bobby was a great lover, he knew exactly how to drive her insane with his hands and his incredible mouth. The sex lately had become intense too, not that she minded. Several times, Bobby had come over and kissed her ravenously almost before he had even gotten through the door; and had her up against the wall , those huge arm muscles holding her against him and and pounding into her even before she could finish saying hello. The sex had been aggressive and rough, and so intense and passionate that they hadn't even thought about protection and the "bare" orgasms had been one of the most powerful of her life. The intensity of it scared her a little. No, Bobby never hurt her, nor was she afraid he would. Well, not really afraid. Even during rough sex, Bobby was careful of her, putting his arms between her head and the wall, asking if she liked what he was doing and backing off if he thought even the tiniest sound escaping from her lips indicated pain. No, what she was scared of was what was going on inside of Bobby; what it was that he was shielding her from, that he could only trust himself to release through intense sex. After the rough sex and powerful orgasms had subsided, he would pull her head onto his chest and stroke her hair while she fell asleep cradled against his chest. He would just lie there all night, hardly sleeping at all, just softly stroking her while she slept.

She had been so pleased a few weeks ago when Bobby had tried to please her by going to a therapist to talk about his dreams. She had no idea if he had since, or if the dreams had come back, and she didn't want to push him on it. Something was bothering him, she just had to hope he would eventually let her into his mind the way he had let her into his heart.

Bobby rang the doorbell with a sense of anticipation- and dread. The anticipation was what he always felt from seeing Cathy. The dread because he was going to have to spend all evening in this fucking tie. He NEVER wore a tie. N-E-V-E-R. But when Steph had " accidentally" eavesdropped on his conversation with Lester and heard him talk about commencing his plan to make it up to Cathy for his recent distractedness, she had insisted that for such a great evening, Bobby had to wear a tie. She had even picked it out to go with the ONLY suit he owned. Steph had beamed as she tied the constricting fabric around his neck. " oh, be still, my heart," Steph said, "teasing him. Cathy will melt when she sees how sexy you look. You all won't make it to the theater cause she is gonna jump you in this."

" You got tickets to the theater- A MUSICAL" Les had almost shouted the word as if horrified. Then he laughed, ' you are so fucking pussy-whipped."

"I am not," was all Bobby could think of to say. Great. Now he had regressed to a damn five year old. He was, in fact, pussy –whipped, in a way. In the way that he loved Cathy, she was the best thing that had ever happened to him, she had tolerated him almost killing her, but the fact was, he couldn't do the one thing she really wanted him to..

Since that one session with the fucking shrink, Bobby was afraid his worst fears were coming true. He sure as hell hadn't been himself since that damn session with the therapist had made his mind go places he didn't want it to. He had the damn dreams all the time now, and sometimes it interfered in his waking thoughts, everyday events triggering memories. He knew he was fucked no matter what he did. If he refused to go back to therapy, he might lose her. But if he WENT again, well, once that shit form the past started to come out, he wasn't sure he could control it, keep it from overtaking his sanity.

He knew she was still trying to come to grips with his way of life. She was trying to accept him as fucked up as he was. But if this, overwhelmed him…Then he would lose her. So he had tried to avoid it, but he knew Cathy sensed he was hiding it from her. He wanted to make it up to her for being so distant lately. He was terrified of losing her, but NOT going to let that ugly shit anywhere near her.

So he had spent an ungodly sum of money doing something that she would really love- and he would –endure. She had wanted to see Wicked again , and had been talking about it for weeks. He hoped taking her to see it- in the orchestra section no less. If him suffering through two and a half hours of a musical being caged in by a tie, would make her forgive him for being so distant, then he'd gladly do it. He straightened the fucking noose around his neck and rang the doorbell.

He felt his breath catch as the door opened and he saw her. She looked so fucking sexy and perfect. She was so gorgeous but he was almost afraid to touch her and kiss her when she was all made up like that. Afraid he'd smudge her. Not that he wouldn't love to smudge her. She was sexiest to him when she was all rumpled, her lipstick all kissed off, her eye makeup smudged from his loving. He kissed her hard, tempted to smudge her right then, but he didn't want to ruin his surprise. He whipped the tickets out of his coat pocket, and held them up to her face so she could see the name.

She squealed and her face lit up. " Bobby, WICKED!" she yelled and jumped up to hug and kiss him. He felt some of his tension ease. If she was happy with tonight, sitting through this mind numbing show getting strangled would be completely worth it.


	26. Chapter 26

Bobby Meets His Match – Chapter 26

The moment they got into the theater from the outside, the air went from cool and brisk, to warm and stuffy, making Bobby instantly uncomfortable. The closely spaced seats, along with the restricting tie, made him feel instantly suffocated. He scanned the area around them , looking for exits. Their seats were on the end of the row, an advantage Bobby had particularly sought out when purchasing them. He guided her into the row before him, his hand lightly grazing her back. They sat down and Bobby's massive frame seemed to fill up the seat and his legs were cramped. This was exactly why he never flew coach.

He scanned the crowd as they entered, looking for threats. Crowds were to be avoided, as the more people surrounded you, the greater possiblilty of danger.

"Don't tell me you are checking out the emergency exits" Cathy teased him and smiled, gripping his other hand gently. Bobby smiled, too, trying to get himself out of this heavy mood, not wanting to even discuss what was causing his state of defcon 2 readiness. " Hey, if there actually is an emergency, you will be glad I did," he teased back.

He had timed their entrance perfectly, with the lights going down just as Cathy had quit wriggling and settled into her chair. The darkness and sudden bang with which the music started added to his sense of wariness.

She stretched up to talk to him and he leaned down so she could whisper in his ear. " This is so amazing, thanks," she said, leaning closely into him. He sat, almost completely still, just his fingers making a slight stroking motion on her hand, just settling himself into stillness. He didn't really get the premise, didn't want to spend two hours listening to screeching, but he paid close attention as some Barbie looking chick in white floated onstage in a bubble. Afterwards she would ask him to tell him her favorite part, so he'd better have one. He reached his arm up and over Cathy's shoulders as she snuggled in next to him to watch the show. The smoke from the special effects mingled with the colored lighting to create an eerie green glow…

_He sat perfectly still, scarcely daring to breathe, as he scanned the rooftops. The darkness appeared green through his night vision goggles as he struggled to distinguish forms bathed in shadows. The moonless night held only danger. His squad, had been hunkered down in this tiny ditch that provided the only cover on the entire plain. In order to accomplish their mission, they had to get across that flat plateau where they would be sitting ducks and easy targets for the enemy who had the high ground. It was named, "death alley' because so far, every squad that had tried to cross it had either been ambushed or shot by snipers. It was so well defended because at the other end sat a small hut where , if intelligence was right, a small but key group of terrorists were holed up. Squad 3, which included two of his best friends, had been systematically picked off one at a time as they crossed. Only three of the five had made it alive, and only one unscathed. As sniper, he was last, scanning the area as they crept slowly and silently across the ground, trying not to hit any of the invisible partially buried trip wires. Halfway across, Bobby noticed a shadow that , if he squinted, appeared to be moving steadily towards them. Hard to tell if it was a threat or just something moving in the slight wind. If he shot too early, the noise would alert those in the hut and they would come out and slaughter his squad. The shadow shimmered just a bit, and he thought it was a human form, advancing slowly on them. Bobby motioned silently to his group, and they silently dropped to the ground, hoping themselves to blend into the shadows. They lay as flat as possible, waiting, not daring to even breathe, fighting the adrenaline coursing through them making them want to get the hell out of there. The shadow was now definitely a man, and before Bobby could raise his rifle, a bright flash pierced the eerie green darkness, the bullet's heat making it a bright red color. He whispered loudly, " sniper' as he tried to shove the captain out of the way, and felt a deep searing pain in his side…_

Bobby jerked violently as Cathy touched his arm, finally becoming aware of lights and noise and movement around him, his side still on fire with remembered pain.

"Bobby? Are you ok?" she asked quietly, her voice lost in the loud din of intermission.

He struggled for a minute, trying to focus his eyes back on his surroundings. " Um, sure, baby. Just got um mesmerized by the story . " Like she was going to believe that. " You want to get up and stretch for awhile?" Bobby sure as fuck did. He needed to stretch and move and shake that damn memory out of his mind.

Cathy reached for her purse and he steadied her as she regained her balance on her sky high heels. "What do you think so far?" she asked, as he led her up the aisle and out towards some blessedly fresh air. " Didn't you think it was great when Elphaba and Galinda hugged and then…"

"Sure, baby" Bobby her happiness made him smile and humored her, having no idea what the hell she was talking about.

The feeling of weightless floating took over her naked body as she sprawled back on the pillows of her bed, her entire body feeling weightless. After the theater, Bobby had taken her to the new seafood place she hadwanted to try . The food was scrumptious, and Bobby had been funny and actually carried on a conversation about the play- the second half anyway. Then, he had brought her home where she had proceeded to jump him.

" You are so beautiful, he said running his fingers through her hair as she rode him, her breasts dancing as she slid up and down his dick.

His fingers tightened, almost pulling her hair, then, he put his hands on her hips, gripping her firmly, driving her up and down faster and faster as his body tightened. He pumped her up and down, hard and fast,and she had arched her back in ecstasy, giving him a view of her jutting breasts. His growl rumbled in his massiv e chest beneath her and he pushed her a final hard thrust as his hips came up to meet her. She loved seeing his face contort in pleasure, yes, Bobby was even handsome with "orgasm face" and she took his shout into her mouth and kissed him as he spilled himself into her.

Now he was lying with his arms under her thighs, his head resting against the inside of the thigh, his face between her spread legs, his lips fastened gently to her clit, gently nibbling and sucking. He had already brought her to orgasm three times, once inside her, twice with his incredible mouth, and she no longer had the energy to scream. His hands were gently holding hers, their fingers gently intertwined, his fingers tightening slightly on hers as his mouth brought her higher. She floated , her body limp, the only sensation in her body was the tingling emanating from her clit under Bobby's mouth, then spreading throughout her body. She watched his dark head move slightly as he worked her higher, taking her almost over the top, then backing off and then back up again, showing his control of her, her body at his mercy

" Oh, Bobby, please…" she finally gasped out breathlessly, her entire body pulsating from the magic his tongue performed on her. . He obeyed her and she arched and screamed as he took her up and over the edge, the sensations overwhelming her as she drifted…

A few seconds later, she opened her eyes as Bobby's lips were now against hers, kissing her gently and rolling her against his chest. Her fingers trailed languidly down his tight abdomen, up his sides stopping at a tiny pucker in his ripped muscular abdomen- a scar. She must have seen it several times before, but this was the first time she really noticed it. Her fingers played back and forth over it, as if trying to soothe the hurt. The tension was suddenly back in his muscles as he put his hand over hers and pulled it back upto his chest and away from the scar, obviously hoping that would be the end of it.

Hesitantly, not wanting to ruin the mood, she asked, her curiosity winning out over her sense.

"Did it hurt when I did that?"

Bobby's body stayed still, but his firm " no" told her he really didn't want to talk about it.

She looked up and his eyes made contact with hers, then away. He stayed silent, a task at which he was infinitely good.

"what happened?", she tried again, hoping to actually get an answer this time.

" I got shot", in that same voice. Wow, three words this time. She flinched at the thought of a bullet penetrating his skin and muscle. It was on his side, just below his ribs, where it could possibly have hit a major organ.

"For Rangeman?" she asked.

"No," again in a voice bordering on harsh.

She sighed. Ok, here it came- the chance she had been waiting for to broach the subject she knew he would do anything to avoid.

She pulled her hand from his chest, sitting up and gently stroked the scar again,

"In the war?" she asked, in a soft but determined voice.

She took his silence for an affirmative and moved on.

"what happened?"

His ab miscles rippled as he half sat, grabbing her hands and pulling her gently back to his lips. Hoping to distract her.

She pulled away and sat up again. Bobby? Talk to me. What happened?"

" I got shot. Yes in the war." Lets go to sleep now.

How could he let something as serious as a gunshot wound go by so quickly, like a gut shot was nothing, not even worth mentioning.

She reached over and turned on the bedside lamp, casting a diffuse glow on his face.

" Tell me what's been bothering you. Is it the dreams again? Talk to me."

Well, fuck, Bobby thought. Talk to her. What the hell am I supposed to say? That I am on the fucking verge of losing my mind down a hole so dark and deep that I might never find it again. Is that what you want to hear, sweeteheart?

" About what?" he said, hoping the appearing innocent thing would work.

" About what's bothering you. I know its about the dreams again. Don't hide it from me." She stroked the side of his face with her hand, her gentleness almost making him cave.

Bobby felt like his heart was tearing in two, he loved her so much, but since that one fucking therapy session, he'd been getting worse, not better. The rage, the fear, the anger that he had spent years stuffing deep down inside him was coming up, and he wasn't sure he could stop it. He couldn't go there. Well, the best defense is a good offense.

"Yes, it's the dreams, ok. Night dreams, day dreams, flashbacks, whatever the fuck you want to call them," he stated harshly, " I went to a therapist once and the dreams got worse."

"Then just tell me," she whispered, her warm fingers still stroking, soothing. Fuck. Like she could fix it or something. So sweet it almost made him want to cry.

"No." he said, stubbornly, his handsome face set. " You are good and sweet and I love you so much. I am not letting that shit anywhere near you."

"Bobby.." she whispered stroking his face. He pulled his face out of her grasp.

" I was not a nice guy then. If you knew, if you saw…"

"Then trust me, she interrupted, raising her pitch slightly. "Trust me to know the real Bobby. Trust that I will still love you no matter what you saw or did."

Fuck. He almost wanted to cry. He wanted so badly to believe that he could deal with this and stay unchanged, that she would still love the man that she might see. How the fuck could he keep it away from her when he might not be able to keep it from himself. His head was in his hands and she carefully reached out to stroke his hair, jerking back when he suddenly raised his head.

" I know you killed people, " she said.

Bobby stared her straight in the eyes, wanting to shock her, make her back off. " Do you know that sometimes I liked it? " He moved closer to her, never losing eye contact. "Do you think you could love a man who sometimes liked killing those fuckers before they killed us? You were horrified that I beat up that fucker that almost killed you. " He stopped and there was a long pause. The eyes that bored into hers were filled with the anguish of the truth. He felt hot and cold and like he was about to fall apart, about to lose that which kept his soul together- her.

" Bobby, please, " she whispered, reaching out to him and holding his body, now rigid as a board, against hers. "You have to trust that I will love you no matter who you turn into , no matter what you have done. It doesn't matter if you have done horrible things, you are a good man, and you always have been, and you always will be."

There was no fucking way that was going to happen. He watched her trembling body walk across the room to the door. " Bobby, I love you so much and I want us to be together. Until you trust yourself enough to deal with your feelings in therapy, and trust me enough not to shut me out, then you don't need to call me or come over here." Her voice faltered at the end as if she were going to cry.

How the fuck did this go so wrong he thought, barely able to breathe past the ache in his chest. He moved about the apartment, dressing, gathering his things, his burning eyes never losing contact with hers. He walked to the door trying desperately to think of how to salvage this , himself. His voice was shaky, as if he were on the verge of tears. " I love you so much, baby," he whispered, kissing her on the cheek. She swallowed hard, pas the lump in her throat, her stomach churning in pain. " I love you too Bobby, and I will love you no matter what." She stood rooted in the same spot, as Bobby quietly pulled the door shut behind him.

Then she ran to the bathroom just in time to violently heave up the contents of her churning stomach. When she had retched herself dry, she curled up on the bathroom floor and cried.


	27. Chapter 27

Bobby Meets His Match- Chapter 27

_I do not own Bobby or Lester, just borrowing them for awhile. I do own Cathy, cause I created her. Please let me know what you think. Only a few more chapters to go._

Lester leaned back in his chair and stretched his long legs in front of him with a sigh. His exaggeratedly noisy yawn broke the dead silence that had prevailed in the monitor room for the last three hours. The silence was too much even for

Lester in that it wasn't just a lack of noise, it was a complete motionlessness from the only other occupant of the monitor room. Bobby hadn't reacted to Lester's annoying yawn, just as he had for the last few hours, he sat , barely moving, watching monitors.

Bobby had displayed a sniper's deathly stillness the past few hours, Lester had even glanced over a couple of times to see if his partner was even still breathing.

The stillness, though spooky, was at least better than the nonstop activity Bobby had done for the last week, since that date with Cathy.

Something had obviously gotten totally fucked up somehow, because, instead of Bobby coming back from the date happy that Cathy was happy and because he had been thoroughly fucked, Bobby had come back a completely miserable bastard.

Lester had met him the next morning and gotten nothing but a glare when he asked how " the screetching" went. Twice more Lester had tried to pull details out of Bobby and been told to " mind his own fucking business."

Not that Lester needed Bobby to tell him that things had gone badly with Cathy, probably because of the fucking therapy thing again. Ranger had taken one look at Bobby's face that morning and told Lester that he was assigned to " take care of Bobby" until further notice. As f Lester needed that assignment. He and Bobby had been through absolute hell together. Lester might joke around but he loved Bobby even more than a brother, and there was no fucking way he was going to leave Bobby to himself until he got his fucking head on straight again.

That first morning after the whatever the hell had happened with Cathy, Bobby had been assigned to pick up a skip with Lester, and had thrown the skip against a wall so hard he gave the guy a concussion and broke two ribs. On the second shift, Bobby was so rough he broke the skip's arm. After that, Ranger had assigned Bobby to permanent monitor duty, not as punishment, but as a way to keep him contained. Thus, Lester had been sentenced to monitor duty, too. Ranger knew the score, and assigned a couple of Rangeman guys to follow Cathy to and from work , keeping her safe until "Bobby fixes this shit."

Bobby had stayed at the monitors, preternaturally still throughout duty, and completely silent. Then, when the shift was over, he would seek out some way to release the pent up anger and hurt inside him, made worse from the inactivity.

He lifted unbelievable amounts of weight over and over. When that didn't help, he went to the shooting range and took out his pain on innocent targets. Twice, he had beat the hell out of Lester in the boxing ring. Lester fingered his fat lip, courtesy of Bobby. He would take that shit, and whatever else Bobby could dish out, if it helped him get his friend back from the pit he seemed to be in.

As soon as Lester entered the stairwell, he heard the loud blasts emanating from Rangeman's pistol range, where Bobby had once again taken solace. The bursts were steady, and LOUD. Bobby was shooting something big, probably wanting to feel the kick of the gun in his hand. He knew Bobby hadn't come here for practice. Bobby was an expert sniper, one of the best in the SEALS, he could take out a target with a head shot form almost a mile away, so shooting a handgun at relatively short range was no challenge for him. No, Bobby had come here for comfort.

Bobby had loaded 5 handguns with 16 round clips and laid them on the shelf in front of him so that when one was empty, he could just pick up the next one and keep firing without having to stop to reload. He was shooting one handed and he didn't react to Lester entering behind him, although he was sure Bobby knew he was there.

Bobby just kept shooting rapid-fire, his rounds going through single holes in the paper man-shaped targets head and chest. Bobby had chosen .45s probably for their recoil. He understood why Bobby had come here to shoot round after round after round for the last week. It gave him comfort to feel the weight of the gun in his hand, have his fingers on the familiar trigger, hear the bang as the trigger released, feel the kick as the bullet was released.

For Bobby, for a lot of guys who had been there, the gun was comfort, it was the only thing you could count on. You loaded it and squeezed the trigger and it always did what you wanted it to. They had both learned the hard way that you can't always count on people, but a soldier can always count on his gun. Many times that gun was all that had stood between him and death.

Lester just stood patiently, leaning against the wall as Bobby methodically emptied all the clips, then decided that this shit had gone on long enough.

"Dude, what the fuck is going on with you? You shouldn't be this pissed off just form sitting through a musical," Lester goaded, trying to keep a light mood. He sucked at this shit.

That got him a look of exasperation and Bobby's " get the fuck away from me."

Lester sat down next to Bobby, crowding him, keeping a smile on his face. " there is not a fucking chance in hell that will happen, bro. I am tired of this shit, so tell me what the hell happened on that damn date with Cathy that has you so fucked up."

Lester spared only a fleeting thought to his incredible feat of having three different swear words in a grammatically correct sentence, because before his eyes, Bobby's angry bravado seemed to crumble at the sound of her name.

" She saw my scar…" was all he said. Fuck, thought Lester, imagining the conversation from there. She had probably wanted to get all talky about details, and Bobby hadn't given them, and… this was exactly why he didn't do relationships… they always wanted all the deepest darkest shit in your lives.

Bobby was now sitting hunched over on the bench, his head in his hands, his posture defeated. Fuck. Lester had been with Bobby when he'd gotten that scar, it had been ugly.

Bobby's voice was wobbly and muffled, his head in his hands. Lester hunched over, huddled next to him. " After I gave her four orgasms," Bobby said, pride in his voice at that, " we were lying in bed and she asked about my scar…then she got into that whole going to therapy shit." Bobby's voice broke and Lester was pretty sure he was crying. Fuck, Lester had only seen Bobby cry once, …

" I told her I will turn into a mean bastard again when that shit comes up. She said that she would love me no matter what and that I can't come back unless I trust her. " what the fuck did that mean? What the fuck did trusting her have to do with it? Didn't she understand that Bobby had already trusted her?

" I love her, so much, man, and she licked me out," Bobby rasped out. Lester huddled next to Bobby and put his arm on his shoulder while Bobby finally fell apart.

This whole thing was so fucked up Lester had no idea how to fix it, but he was going to fix it somehow. Bobby had saved his life several times, and now Lester was going to repay the favour.

Cathy plopped into her leather desk chair, exhausted, even though it was only one o'clock. She slipped off her three inch heels and wriggled her toes. Her neck cracked as she stretched it, trying to work out the muscles knotted from fatigue. She wished she felt Bobby's strong fingers, gently but firmly rubbing her neck, his strong hands rubbing her feet, working out the stress. But she hadn't heard a word from Bobby in a week.

Not since that wonderful night had turned horrible and she had kicked Bobby out. She squeezed her eyes shut against the tears that welled up and threatened to overflow down her cheeks, threatening to ruin her makeup again. She had already fixed it twice today. She sniffed, her eyes clouding again at the thought that she would probably never see him again, never look into his beautiful brown eyes, never see his breathtaking smile...

Why had she kicked him out? Sweet Bobby.. why couldn't he trust her? Why couldn't she leave well enough alone? He was a sweet man who adored her and took care of her, and didn't trust her enough to share with her...

Cathy sniffed and tried to stop crying. Bobby hated when she cried, not that that mattered anymore. She hadn't heard a word from him since she had kicked him out of her apartment. Although she was pretty sure the SUV that was waiting across the street every night when she went home was from Rangeman. She could never see inside the tinted windows, but the SUV was waiting whenshe left work and stayed behind her until she got home. Instead of being creeped out by the stalker-ness of that, it made her feel comforted, like something of Bobby was still with her.

She stopped for a moment while her stomach tumbled. In addition to losing the best thing that had ever happened to her, Bobby, she had the flu. She had been vomiting for almost a week now, and was dizzy. She brushed the cracker crumbs off her desk and into the trash, cursing that she had been too busy to ever get a flu shot. She wiped her eyes again and reapplied her mascara and lip gloss, sad that Bobby would not be kissing it off her again. She had just finished when her private line rang.

" Cathy, oh my god, " came her secretary's whispered voice, " come out here now. There is this really hot guy all in black here to see you," she ended on a giggle.

Bobby! OMG, he's here, she stood up, dizzy, her heart pounding. She fixed her hair and took a deep breath to calm herself as she opened her office door.

She rounded the corner wobbly in her three inch heels. She saw the dark shirt and broke into a smile. Bobby...

Lester broke off his flirting with the secretary to turn at the sound of her voice. Obviously she'd been hoping for Bobby, and her face fell when she saw him. Lester really liked her, but he wanted to be pissed at her for how much she had hurt Bobby. Except that she looked almost as bad. Her hair was limp, and her eyes were red and puffy from crying, and she looked wobbly.

This was the woman Bobby loved, the only woman he had ever given his heart to, so Lester couldn't be mad. He opened his arms to her, and she hesitated, then ran to him, burrowing her head in his chest. He held her tightly for a minute, letting her steady herself, then whispered, " I'm glad you remember me." Of course I do, she said, trying to smile. Then her smile fell. " How is Bobby ?, she asked, her worry for him all over her gorgeous face.

Lester didn't usually get involved in other people's business like this, but Bobby was fucked up right now, and Lester would do anything to help him. Bobby might kill him for it later, though.

"I'll tell you over coffee," he whispered as he finally let her go.

She stumbled, dizzy with emotion and her roiling stomach, and she almost fell at his feet.

"who, " what's wrong, he whispered, grabbing her arm and straightening her.

She smiled quickly, nothing. I just am a little lightheaded from not eating."

Lester smiled his killer smile, " make it lunch then, and you can tell me what the hell is going on."


	28. Chapter 28

Bobby Meets His Match- Chapter 28

_I don't own Bobby or Lester, but I do own Cathy. Please leave reviews, as I love to read them. Only a couple chapters left!_

At 1:30 on a weekday afternoon the mom and pop diner was almost deserted, so Lester led Cathy to a table in the back with a direct line of sight to the door, and he sat with his back to the wall. Cathy sighed at the similarity with Bobby, always a line of sight to the door, always sitting with his back to the wall. Bobby had told her it was so he could constantly scan the restaurant for danger, see who was coming in the door, so he could react instantly to danger and not be taken by surprise.. Now she was seeing this same behavior in Bobby's best friend. She understood that it might be necessary to do that in a war zone, but did Lester really think there was a chance someone would come bursting into Emma's Kitchen with guns ablazing? Was it just habit, or so much a part of them that they couldn't turn it off?

The middle aged waitress looked like she was going to faint when she saw this huge, incredibly gorgeous man in black sitting at her table, especially when she saw the belt with guns and weapons attached to it. He smiled his killer smile at the waitress, the one that never failed to get him his every desire granted from any woman he turned it on. He winked at her as she gave them coffee and menus. Without even looking at the menu, he told the waitress " Joan" that he wanted a chesseburger and fries. Cathy's stomach roiled even at the sound of that. She wasn't hungry at all, but she knew that Lester would expect her to eat, so she ordered the only thing she hoped she could hold down, sop with lots of crackers.

She sniffed and tried to steady herself, at once both nervous and at ease with this man who was the closest thing to Bobby she could get, who had helped Bobby save her life, and had comforted her when Bobby was shot. Lester was about an inch shorter than Bobby but just as massive, with the same huge arm muscles bulging from under the sleeves of the black t shirt, and the same large hands. He had the same bulging, strong, warm chest and arms that Bobby had- except they weren't Bobby's. Lester's hair was lighter than Bobby's black hair, a dark brown, and he had greenish brown eyes to Bobby's chocolate brown. This man had taken care of her when Bobby couldn't, but she wasn't sure f Lester would be angry at her or not for hurting his best friend.

She gulped and slowly sipped her water, hoping it would calm her stomach, made worse by her crying. There was total silence for a few minutes as neither one knew what to say.

Lester studied the petite woman sitting across from him, who was the love of his best friend's life. He was prepared to be angry with Cathy for messing Bobby up so badly, except that when he saw her, his anger turned to concern. She looked like shit. Her usually gorgeous auburn hair was flat, like she hadn't bothered to style it, her eyes were red and puffy, like she hadn't been able to stop crying, and the black mascara goop had all come off and was pooled under her eyes in circles, which combined with the red puffiness of her nose, made her look like a cold raccoon. She was shaky, and obviously wasn't eating as she should, and when he had held her earlier he had felt her trembling. Whatever the fuck went down between them had affected her as much as it had Bobby, and it stirred his protective instincts. Bobby would want him to look out for her. He scanned the empty diner for the umpteenth time, really wanting to avoid the awkwardness of the conversation. Maybe this had been a bad idea. What the hell was he supposed to say? What the hell did you do to Bobby? He sighed.

Cathy's soft, voice broke the silence. " How's Bobby? I haven't heard from him."

Lester bit off the retort that popped into his head. How the fuck do you think he is? He wanted to say. But being angry at Cathy wasn't going to help fix this giant clusterfuck. "He's pretty fuc-," Lester stopped the f word from coming out of his mouth, as his eyes met the pain in hers. "He's angry and hurting pretty bad." In fact, Bobby was worse than Lester had ever seen him since, well, since he first came back from his last tour, broken and wanting to put it all behind him.

Fuck. Lester hated getting all involved in Bobby's life and talking to Bobby's girlfriend for him, airing Bobby's dirty laundry. Was he in fucking middle school again? Bobby would kill him for this. His fingers touched the fat lip Bobby had given him while taking out his frustrations on Lester in the ring. He would die for Bobby, and if that meant he'd die at Bobby's hands for interfering in his sex life, so be it. Besides, Lester couldn't fuck It up any worse, could he?

The intensity of the conversation was broken by Joan arriving and fussing over Lester's cheeseburger. " thanks, sweetie, " he flirted, showing his adorable dimples, It was almost as breathtaking as when Bobby gave her that look… her eyes started to fill again as she thought of the smoldering smile Bobby had always given her. Lester dove into his cheeseburger like a starving man, but Cathy just spooned her soup, taking a careful sip.

"What the hell happened?" Lester finally asked, knowing, but wanting to hear what mad Cathy so mad she kicked Bobby out of her life.

Cathy smiled slightly through her tears. "He got orchestra tickets to Wicked, and it was so sweet, he even wore a tie, which I know he hated. And I know that guys hate musicals, especially guys like Bobby, so the fact he would go with me to make me happy was so sweet. " Cathy knew she was rambling, but now that she had started, she couldn't seem to stop talking about Bobby, as if talking about him, to his best friend would somehow make everything ok.

" So …" Lester prompted her around a bite of French fry.

Her fingers put down the soup spoon she had been playing with, and ran idly over the crack in the old wooden table, her eyes focused anywhere but on Lester, suddenly afraid to meet his eyes again." Well, he was really protective, I mean, almost paranoid. Saying he had to know where the exits were in case we needed to evacuate. " I mean, I know Bobby always thinks about stuff like that, but he was so intense about it. Even during the show, he seemed distracted. I mean, I know he probably wasn't paying attention to the musical anyway, but it was more than that. He seemed startled at intermission. I asked him what was wrong, but he would just tell me nothing and change the subject."

She looked up briefly and saw he was looking at her almost searchingly, as if he was debating sharing information with her. "You know, since Bobby went to therapy like you wanted him to, he said almost accusingly, " he's been having flashbacks all the time now, not just at night. Maybe that's why he was so distracted."

" He wouldn't tell me. Then we had a great dinner and then we went to my place and …" her face got even redder and she looked away form Lester back at the table. Yeah, Bobby HAD boasted that he' d given her four orgasms. So she should have been a happy camper…"

Lester thought that if Cathy didn't have the red nosed raccoon look going already, the blush on her cheeks would have been cute as hell. He could see why Bobby loved her. She ducked her head and continued. " Well, then when we were lying in bed, I noticed the scar on his side, and I asked him about it. "

Oh, fuck, Lester thought. Here it came. This is where all that shit about the dreams and therapy and shit probably came up. Lester knew about where Bobby had gotten that scar, hell, he'd been with Bobby when he got it. He'd been the one to try to staunch the blood that was gushing out of it…

"what did he tell you about the scar?" Lester asked, already knowing that Bobby had told her as little as he could possibly get away with.

"well," she sniffed, tears welling up in her eyes again, " He wouldn't say anything, really, but I figured out he'd gotten it in the war. And so…" her voice broke and she tried to catch the tears that escaped down her cheeks, " I pressed him and he clammed up. And then, well, we got in a fight about him dealing with the dreams and flashbacks and him not trusting me to love him."

Lester had been in Bobby's unit and been with him on the mission where he got shot. He felt like he had to tell her something. " Did he tell you that he got that scar on a mission when we were trying to cross an ally where half our unit had gotten ambushed the day before? That he got shot when he threw himself in front of a bullet trying to protect the commanding officer.? The bullet had knicked major organs and it took him three months to recover. Cathy looked into Lester's eyes, filled with pain at the memory. " He had a ticket home, back to the states, away from that shithole forever. But as soon as Bobby was medically cleared, he insisted on coming back. He had to take care of his unit."

Lester jerked himself from his memories and saw the giant tears rolling down her cheeks, and handed her one of the extra napkins lying on the table. Fuck, he hated to see her cry. She was so sweet and Bobby loved her so much, it hurt Lester to see them so miserable. He put his large hand over hers that was lying on the table. Hers was cold, despite the soup, so he warmed it in both of his. His dark eyes roaming over her nearly uneaten soup, the shakiness of her hand in his. She was in bad shape.

He squeezed her hand gently, forcing her to meet his eyes. " How can you say Bobby doesn't trust you? I have known Bobby for years, we went in the service together, even some missions together…I have never seen him with a woman like he is with you. I mean, Well, Bobby and I , well we have never had to work very hard to get a woman. Hell, Bobby just had to look at one and smile and they would be falling all over him." He felt her hands stiffen in his and realized that was probably not a good thing to say to reassure the woman Bobby loved that she was the only one.

" Ok, um, I probably shouldn't have said that," Fuck, this was why he hated talking, he always said something stupid. He scrambled to say something that would reverse the stupid thing he had just said. " But he hasn't ever even LOOKED at another woman since the first time he met you. Every time I pointed one out he'd glance at her and say, " she's not as beautiful as Cathy." He watched a slight grin appear on her face at that. " From the moment he met you he was so pus…" Lester stopped himself mid " pussy-whipped" , he was gone on you from the beginning." Lester kept on, wanting to convince Cathy how much Bobby loved her. " Before, he never cared if he ever saw the same woman twice, but with you, he was worried that you would think he only wanted you for sex, and it was so beyond that…" He looked into her eyes, hoping the pain and hope he saw in hers would recognize the actual sincerity in his.

" You are wrong if you think Bobby doesn't trust you. He trusts you with something he has never trusted another woman with..' he squeezed her hand gently. " with his heart, and his soul. "

Cathy watched as Lester's confident veneer dissembled in front of her. " See guys like us, me, Bobby, we are soldiers. Its who and what we are, and it will always be in us. Soldiers never trust. We never make ourselves vulnerable to anyone. We never give the anyone the information, or the power or the weapons they might later use to hurt us. Never. And Bobby never has, he's never given it to the enemy, he's sure as hell never given it to women, until you. Bobby trusted you so much he gave you the one thing you could later use to hurt him… his heart and soul."

Lester wondered where all this shit he was saying was coming from. What was he Fucking Oprah all of a sudden? He had no idea what the fuck he was saying, jut that he had to make her understand that Bobby trusted Cathy like he never had any other woman.

Cathy was sobbing now and Lester had no idea if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but he couldn't stand it. He moved to sit next to her, and put his arms around her, holding her to his chest. " Then, why won't he trust me enough to go to therapy? She gasped out around her sobs.

Fuck. There it was, the real issue. The Fucking therapist. Why did women think you could just talk about your problems and they would all go away, like a cut under a Band-Aid. The world didn't work that way. Sometimes, bringing them out in the open made them worse. Some wounds didn't heal, and never would, and the only way to survive them was to shove them away somewhere so deep that the pain wouldn't affect you.

He held Cathy tighter as she shivered in his arms, letting out a week of pain and soaking his shirt. He didn't know that the fuck to say. That one therapy session had made the nightmares real for Bobby. Didn't she understand that if what Bobby, if what they all, were burying deep rose to the surface it would overwhelm them? Didn't she understand the reason that the reason so many missions were considered classified for years after they were irrelevant was not because of giving away military secrets, but because it was a handy excuse to never have to talk about them again?

He pulled back a bit so he could look at her. She sniffed, her tears seemingly temporarily under control. " Look, I know you mean well, and you love Bobby, and you think him talking to you about it will make everything all better but,…"

" I don't expect him to talk to me about what happened over there, but I want him to talk to someone, a therapist.."

" he did that, honey, and it only made it worse. It made the dreams become reality. He's been having flashbacks and probably had one at the theater. He's afraid that if some of the terrible thing thats he did, " he met her eyes, " that WE did, over there came out in the open, they would turn us into the people we were then. And we were not very nice people then. He doesn't want you to think of him that way. I mean, some of the shit we saw, we DID over there…"

Cathy stopped crying and met his eyes, hers filled with tenderness now. She stroked his arm that was around her. " I told him that is bullshit and why he has to trust me. I don't know what he did over there, and I probably don' t want to. He says he did some terrible things. But that doesn't matter to me. Whatever he did, " she stopped and looked into his eyes, knowing this man had been at Bobby's side during some of the worst of it " Whatever you did, no matter how terrible, you did because its what you had to do to survive and to protect the people you were assigned to protect. I will love him even if he turns into that man again, because he is a good man." She started to cry again.

" I love Bobby and I want to be with him forever, but I want him to love himself as much as he loves me. And I want him to trust me enough to know that I will love him no matter what …"

Her voice broke and her stomach suddenly lurched, and she was afraid she would spew right here at the table. She pulled out of Lester's arms, and he seemed surprised, but let her go. She got up and ran towards the ladies room.

Fifteen minutes later, she was still crouching in front of the ladies room toilet, trying to have the energy not to fall onto the germy ladies room floor. This constant vomiting made her weak and she cursed not getting her flu shot. She grabbed a piece of toilet paper to wipe her face when the ladies room door creaked open. "Honey, that gorgeous man out there is worried about you. He gave me $20 to come in and check on you."

She opened the stall door just in time to see Cathy flush the contents of her stomach down the toilet and rise weekly.

" Oh , honey, it'll be ok. I had that constant nausea with my first one too. It'll pass soon enough." Joan offered helpfully. " You must be so happy with that beautiful man out there."

Cathy didn't hear a word she was saying, her mind was caught with the words, " my first one.." First… oh, shit, Cathy thought. First one… Cathy thought about all the times she and Bobby had been too wild with passion to stop for a condom. Her mind was spinning, she was pregnant…

Suddenly the spinning of her mind was joined by the spinning of the room as the shock caught up with the emotion and the lack of food. She felt her vision start to recede as a woman's voice yelled and then she heard Lester yell, and then the vision faded to black.


	29. Chapter 29

Bobby Meets His Match- Chapter 29

_This is kind of a slow paced chapter, but, I like it. Only a couple chapters to go! Please leave reviews, as I really love reading them._

The center of the white lines inside the rifle scope were lined exactly on the back of the kidnapper's head. Bobby's eye was lined up with the site, his finger lightly resting on the trigger, where it had been for the last few hours. His breathing was slow and deep, his giant arm muscles contracting to hold the rifle steady for so long. The earpiece in his ear crackled and he listened, his attention still laser focused on the head in his rifle sights. Bobby actually felt comfortable in this position, unmoving, barely breathing, waiting, and then having to move with lightning speed after waiting for hours.

Bobby was in the " The Hollows" where one Henry Tobin, a former Rangeman skip, was now holed up in an old cabin with a little boy- his own son as his hostage. Tobin was actually out on bail for domestic violence- literally JUST out on bail, when he grabbed his girlfriend's son and held him hostage in a cabin. Bobby was working with members of Trenton PD, who were surrounding the structure. Since Rangeman had rounded up Tobin twice before when he jumped bail, Trenton PD had called Rangeman in to help apprehend him now. Besides, Bobby was a better sniper than anyone Trenton PD had to offer, and they knew it. So they sometimes asked for help in these types of situations. The real questions was: Why did judges keep giving this fucker bail? Was a question Bobby didn't even ask. Now Bobby was perched, huddled in a fucking tree with a bead on Tobin in case the "negotiations " failed.

He barely blinked as his eye remained to the sight, the crosshairs trained on Tobin's head. Snipers had the unique ability to remain completely laser focused on their targets, finger feeling relaxed, at home on the trigger, attention never wavering, while another part of their mind could be somewhere else. Part of Bobby was afraid that holding a rifle in his hand ready to possibly take out a violent criminal might stir up another flashback. Part of him relished the opportunity to get rid of some of the pain and numbness inside him, but pulling the trigger and feeling the gun recoil in his arms. Twice now, Tobin's blonde profile had mysteriously turned dark haired with a beard as images from other sniper missions- ones where missing a shot meant his death or his men's deaths- flashed into his head, but he held them off. As he sat, poised, ready to possibly blow Tobin's head off, he thought of Cathy. What would she think if she knew he was here ready to kill someone else- another bad guy? Would she really understand? Still love him? What if she knew he was glad he could kill the motherfucker before he hurt any other women- or his son?

His eyes burned not from the amazingly long periods of gazing through the scope without blinking, but from the realization that he had given her the power to destroy him- and she had. The crisp voice on his earpiece drew him out of his reverie. " Sniper 1- stand by." "standing by, " he acknowledged. He tightened his grip on the rifle and then released it to ease the muscle, making sure Tobin's head was in the crosshairs. In front and slightly below Tobin's head was his little son, who that fucker Tobin was now threatening to kill. His own fucking son. He knew from the chatter that the cops had decided that negotiations with this asshole were over and they decided to storm the cabin and liberate the son.

"Team A go" , he heard. Then " Sniper 1- fire," The command was not even completely finished when Bobby saw cops break down the cabin door- Tobin was holding his son, yelling, waving the gun at his little son's head. Bobby's finger squeezed gently on the trigger, and the woods echoed with the sound of his single shot . Seconds later, he watched with satisfaction as Tobin fell from his bullet, the impact causing him to release his son. Bobby was supposed to have given him a headshot, but he pulled it at the last minute, shooting Tobin in the chest instead. Equally fatal and this way the boy wouldn't have the memories of his father's head exploding to add to the other traumas he would have from this event. He sure as hell didn't want an innocent little boy enduring the hellish nightmares he did. Once again Bobby had taken a life to save one. He jumped down from the tree and had almost finished dissembling his sniper rifle when his cell phone vibrated in his pants. "Fuck," he whispered, reading the text- "911 Rangeman."

"Cathy, comeon honey, wake up, " Lester whispered to the unconscious woman he cradled in his arms, worriedly stroking her face. Fuck propriety, he had gone ballistic when he heard the waitress's shout and barrelled into the ladies room, gun drawn. He holstered it immediately when he saw the redhead slumped on the floor.

Joan was hovering, " I fainted too once, with my first, plus I think the poor thing just lost her lunch..." Lester knew Cathy had been shaky, and hadn't been eating, but what the hell was happening here? He whispered to her and stroked her face, his fingers stopping to feel the rapid pulse in her neck. She didn't appear to be in life threatening condition. He hugged her to his chest, shaking her gently.

"Poor thing..." Joan babbled. " It will get better after a few months..." First one? Months? What the fuck was she talking about? Months? Lester thought.

"I called 911," Joan said, as Lester felt Cathy start to stir in his arms and pulled her closer. " No hospital," Lester said. He pulled out his phone and with his arms still wrapped around Cathy, he started typing into it. He saw her beautiful green eyes flutter open and meet the bewilderment in his as he finally made sense of Joan's words. Holy shit! He swooped Cathy up in his arms and carried her out to his truck.

Whenever Bobby got a Rangeman 911 text, it meant that one of the guys was hurt and being brought to Rangeman for treatment. He didn't know who it was, but if they were bringing him here instead of having Bobby go there it couldn't be THAT bad?

He turned at a slight sound in the doorway , feeling his jaw actually drop. Instantly the pain and emptiness that had filled him, that threatened to overwhelm him for the last week, evaporated, to be replaced by heart pounding fear as Lester came into the suite carrying Bobby's heart and soul- Cathy.

He snapped out of his state of surprise and into medic mode. "What the hell? Baby..." he ran to her, his eyes scanning her for blood or wounds. The harsh, set frown he had been wearing for the past week softened, and was replaced by a look of vulnerability and fear. He tried to keep himself calm despite the utter panic inside of him at the sight of her red eyes, her trembling. She looked like shit. What the fuck happened? Thank God, he didn't see any blood. "What the fuck did you do to her?" he demanded of Lester.

Lester had seen Bobby in action many times, but he was still amazed at the speed with which Bobby morphed from killer to healer. By the time Les had set her down on the gurney, Bobby had a blood pressure cuff on her and listened intently through the stethoscope, then frowned, and released the pressure on the cuff, leaving it on her arm.

"I ran into her at a restaurant. Lester lied. He was NOT telling Bobby why he was really with her. Not ever. "She was shaky and then after we ate she got sick and then passed out, " Lester explained. He looked pointedly at Cathy, then back to Bobby. " Oh, fuck. Lester had pretty much figured out what was wrong with her, but he shouldn't be the one to tell Bobby.

Bobby was cradling her head against his shoulder, kissing the top of her head, with his other hand on her wrist, probably trying to keep her still while he took her pulse. Lester's tone made Bobby look up and he shared a look. " She said its the flu, but the waitress at the diner said she felt this way for a few months, too, vomiting, and weakness..." Lester was raising one brow at Bobby, silently urging Bobby to use his damn brain and figure it out, but his usually smart friend was so dumbfounded at seeing Cathy again that he was oblivious. Lester decided to give the, some " alone time."

" I'm ok, " Cathy kept whispering, softly her trembling hand threading through her hair, trying to reassure herself. Physically, she was shaky, but her mind was spinning at Bobby's touch. She never thought she'd see him again, and now here he was. She wanted him so much, but they still had the same issue. And now, if she was pregnant... oh, my God, she panicked , what the hell was she going to do. She felt Bobby's hand in her hair, his strong fingers touching her, his lips kissing the top of her head.

Shit! She was going to have a baby. What the hell would she do with a baby? late night feedings and crying, and she couldn't do this... Oh, God, she felt herself panic and suddenly she was breathing in short little gasps , and she couldn't get air, having a panic attack at the thought of being pregnant. How could she tell Bobby. what if he didn't want a baby? She felt breathing get faster, and shallower, felt herself gasping so she couldn't get any air. " I can't breathe," she whispered between gasps.

Bobby pulled back quickly at the sound of her rapid breathing and cupped one hand gently over her mouth to keep her from hyperventilating. "Easy, baby, you can breathe just fine," he said, " Just slow it down, nice, deep breaths," he told her, he repeated the calm words over and over in his deep, soothing medic voice. Somehow, just being cradled against Bobby's chest calmed her and after a minute or so she felt she felt her breathing start to even out, and Bobby removed his hand.

He tilted her head up to look at him and his chocolate brown eyes enveloped her in warmth. " Baby, what have you done to yourself? when is the last time that you ate?" She felt defensive. She had TRIED to eat. If her suspicions were right, it was HIS child that had done this to her. But she couldn't tell him now. "Well, I tried to eat, but I kept getting sick."

He stroked her face with his thumb. It ripped his heart out to see her like this. See what happens when you don't let me take care of you, he thought, trying to stifle his anger. He eased her back gently to the upright side of the gurney. " You are dehydrated, baby, and your blood pressure is really low. We have to get some fluids into you," he said, pricking her finger with a glucose monitor and then gently sticking a needle in her wrist to start an IV.

He gave her a ginger ale, steadying her trembling hand while she drank. " Your blood sugar is really low, too. That and the low blood pressure is probably why you fainted. This will get your blood sugar up and settle your stomach. " His warm , strong hand steadied hers as she drank the ginger ale, and a box of grape juice. Seeing the cartoons on the box and the silly straw made her grin. These big huge testosterone laden badasses run around drinking grape juice from little boxes with straws?

By the time she had eaten the fruit and the granola bar he had coaxed her into eating, and the IV bag had drained, she felt a little less shaky. Bobby had stood next to her, his fingers slowly stroking the inside of her wrist, watching her intently as she ate. She just stared at Bobby's massive frame as he stood watching her. She loved him so much, but now it was all ruined. He didn't trust her, and now... she didn't think he'd want a baby. Suddenly the emotion overcame her and she burst out crying.

What the hell? Bobby thought. She's been sitting there fine and then suddenly she burst into tears? He didn't know what the hell was going on here, but he fucking hated to see her cry. " Hey, come here," he said, pulling her to his chest and holding her tightly. Was she crying because she was sick, or because she missed him? " Shh.. please stop crying," he whispered. She didn't listen to him, and he could hear her sniffing , although she didn't have a lot of tears. He tried another tack. " Baby, I just got some fluids back into you. You cry them all out again and I'll have to give you another IV." They both laughed at that and he stood there for a moment, just kissing her face.

He jumped and whirled around at a sudden sound behind him, putting himself between Cathy and the potential threat. Steph stood there, smiling. " Ooh, I love it when a merry man is unaware of his surroundings, " she teased. It was obvious the mood needed lightened. " Hey, Steph," he hugged her briefly then went to prick Cathy's finger with the glucose monitor again and take her blood pressure, that serious, intent look back on his face. " A little better, but not great" he told Cathy firmly as he let the pressure out of the cuff again and handed her a banana."

Steph smiled and walked over to hug Cathy. " well, at least I am not the only one that he bosses around and makes eat healthy food," she joked. Then her face got serious as she noted Cathy's red eyes and the IV. " Are you sick? Les told me he had seen you at a restaurant and then you got sick and then fainted. Cathy looked embarrassed so Steph made a joke of it. "Its usually me who does that kind of embarrassing stuff. You wouldn't believe the garbage I get covered with."

Cathy looked down at the floor then at Steph. "Yeah, I have had the flu for about a week now. Can't keep anything down. I guess I just got too weak, and Bobby says I'm dehydrated." Flu , huh? ," Steph thought. Les had told her about what the waitress in the restaurant had said, and if Bobby was even half as passionate as Ranger, and she'd bet he was, there were probably lots of times they hadn't used protection. Soo... She looked at Bobby, but the otherwise bright medic seemed oblivious to the possibility.

Cathy looked up at Bobby, suddenly fearful and wanting to be somewhere that she could think, try to straighten it all out in her mind. " I feel better now, Bobby," she lied. Do you mind taking me home? I just need some time to rest and think,"

Bobby stiffened, stifling the urge to tell her hell no she wasn't going home. She was a terrible liar, she couldn't be feeling THAT much better. But he saw the same look in her eye that Ranger usually got from Steph when HE tried to force her to do something. THAT never turned out well.

Fortunately, Bobby considered himself was smart enough to learn from Ranger's mistakes. He grinned, knowing he could still get Cathy exactly where he wanted her. " Baby, I am glad you feel better. But you aren't going anywhere alone until I can get you stabilized. So you have a few choices. I can take you back to your place and stay with you there, or you can stay in this room or in my apartment here. But staying home alone is not an option."

Cathy's green gaze met his serious one and she knew she wouldn't get the better of Bobby when he was in alpha- male protective mode, so she gave in to the thought of being in those amazingly strong arms. " Well, if those are my ONLY choices she said, " with a slight grin, " I will choose to stay with you in your apartment."

Steph's heart lurched as Bobby's stern face instantly break into his adorable smile. She sighed. She missed that smile and she hadn't thought she'd ever see again after this past week.

" Good choice," she told Cathy. While Bobby took out the IV needle, Cathy beckoned Steph closer. She waited till Bobby had moved across the room to throw the needle in the sharps bag, then she whispered, " I need you to do me a favour."

Bobby came back to find the two most important women in his life huddled together , whispering conspiratorially. They looked up when he came over, and instantly got silent. THAT was never good. He heard Steph say, ' Sure. I'll do it tomorrow." Steph straightened up, gave Bobby a huge smile, hugged him, and then left the room. What the hell was that all about? He didn't really care. All he cared about was getting Cathy back where she belonged- in his bed.


	30. Chapter 30

Bobby Meets His Match – Chapter 30

_I do not own Bobby, but I do own Cathy, since I created her. Please leave reviews, as I love to hear what you think of my stories._

In the dream, soft, warm lips were pressed against hers, covering hers, and a large, strong gentle, thumb stroked her neck, then stroked her face. She sighed lightly, and the warm hand started to make its way down to caress her breasts through the t-shirt she was wearing. The sensation made her tingle. She sighed again, more deeply, and lost herself in the warm lips, which were once again pressed against hers. The hand left her neck and made its way across her collarbone, down to the the valley between her breasts, then the hand covered her breasts. She moaned and heard a deep rumble. The gentle sensations sent tingles through her, and she suddenly opened her eyes, to discover she was in Bobby's bed, cuddled tightly against his warm, muscular body, her head on his chest, and his lips covering hers, kissing her awake. When he saw her eyes were open, he pulled back, and his gorgeous face split into a sheepish grin. " 'm sorry , baby, "he whispered. " I didn't mean to wake you. It just feels like so long since I have touched you, I couldn't resist." He kissed her softly again, as if he couldn't bear not to be touching her.

Bobby's arms were holding her tightly as if she were his teddy bear. The warmth of his fingers stroking her breasts penetrated through his t-shirt, which was huge on her. She didn't remember putting it on, she'd been so tired last night. Bobby must have undressed her and put it on her after she fell asleep. She felt herself and realized he'd left her panties on, probably so he could resist temptation. Her left arm was encased in a deflated blood pressure cuff, proof that Bobby must have spent much of the night monitoring her. She felt so cherished in his arms, she didn't want to even think of the issues that had brought her back to his bed, his child probably growing inside her, she just sighed and snuggled her head back on his strong , warm, chest, and, with his hand gently stroking her, she fell back to sleep.

When she awoke again, she was alone in bed. Bobby had wrapped the blankets around her tightly, and the cuff was gone from her arm. Bobby had left a note for her, propped up next to a bottle of water on the nightstand. She opened it and saw Bobby had written in block letters. CALL ME WHEN YOU WAKE UP. She called him and he must have known it was her.

Bobby was staking out Ralph Morrisy's house with Lester. When his phone vibrated at 9:30 and he knew it had to be Cathy. " Good morning, baby," he answered. How are you feeling?" he asked, ever the medic. Lester shot him a 'you are so fucking whipped" look.

"Much better," she told him after a pause, and he wondered if she really was, or if she was like Steph, who pretended a lot. He wished he could see Cathy's eyes. He could always tell the truth by looking into her beautiful shiny green eyes.

"I had someone bring some clothes for you in the duffle bag by the bed. Press #3 on the phone and Ella will bring you toast and fruit for your stomach." He laughed at her groan.

"what? No bacon and eggs, "she teased.

"If you do ok with the toast, I am sure Ella will be thrilled to make you bacon and eggs. " Lester was now smirking at him.

"Make sure you drink a lot of water, today, so you don't get dehydrated, even if your stomach is still upset. You should rest a lot today."

"Stephanie is going to come down to day and she is going to help me with some stuff," she told him, making him wince. He was glad Steph liked Cathy, but he didn't really want them hanging out a lot together, ganging up on him about that therapy shit. He knew that right now, Cathy was happy to be with him because she had missed him, but that therapy demon would rear its ugly head again.

Lester smacked his arm to get his attention and pointed to Ralph Morrisey leaving his house.

" I gotta go , baby. I'll call you later. Take it easy today. I love you," he said, and hung up.

No sooner had Bobby hung up, then she had to run to his bathroom to vomit. Holy shit! This was getting old fast- and how many more months of this? After she drank another Ginger Ale that Bobby had thoughtfully left for her, she managed to keep down the toast Ella brought, and took a long shower. She relaxed in the warm spray, and for the first time since she had realized she was probably pregnant, she allowed herself to really think about it. What the hell was she going to do? She couldn't raise a child? She could barely care for herself and her cat. And what about Bobby, he was a single guy. He loved her, yes, but he'd never said anything about a marriage, or having kids. What if he didn't want kids? Bobby was a sweet and honorable guy, and he'd probably marry her if she was pregnant, but would he be doing it because he wanted to, or out of obligation? And what about his issues with his dreams,that were now apparently flashbacks? Could he be a good father to a child if he wasn't whole himself? Despite being in Bobby 's shower after having spent the night in his loving arms, she felt so alone.

She had just finished pulling back her hair when there was a knock at the door. She opened it and Stephanie bounded in. "Hey, you look better," she said. "How did it go with Bobby last night? Did you tell him?"Steph handed Cathy a cup of coffee. Cathy smiled, remembering the night with Bobby. "No, he was still in medic mode with me most of the night, and after that, well, he wasn't in talking mode." Steph giggled, imagining that if Bobby was anything like Ranger was in bed…

Cathy giggled too,then quickly broke into a sob. " Steph, what am I going to do? " Steph hugged her and said, " Ok, before you get upset, let's find out for sure. Lets run to the drugstore and then your apartment. " Cathy had been at Rangeman before, but she had never noticed all the cameras everywhere, even in the elevator. She wasn't sure she wanted people spying on what she did every minute. Steph noticed her staring at the elevator camera, then looked at it, waved, and stuck out her tongue at it. " whoever is in the control room will get a laugh at that. But, yeah, it takes some getting used to.

The elevator door dinged open on 5, and Cathy hesitantly followed Steph across the room filled with cubbies with HUGE men, a couple of whom she recognized from her last visit here. Several dark pairs of eyes glanced up at her with curiosity, then quickly back down at their computers again. Steph stopped and knocked on an office door, entering when she heard a man's deep voice. Cathy recognized the dark haired man right away- it was Bobby's boss- Ranger.

" Babe," he smiled at Steph and kissed her. Damn. Cathy sighed. Ranger was an amazing , sexy, man, almost as sexy as Bobby. Ranger turned his handsome smile on Cathy, his eyes roaming her speculatively. He gave her a small hug, sensing her awkwardness. " I knew you were feeling better, or Bobby wouldn't have left your side for his shift this morning, but its good to see you looking so well."

" Ranger, Cathy and I have some errands to run, and I know Bobby would kill me if I took her off somewhere in my latest POS car. Is it ok if we take one of yours?" Cathy saw Ranger exchange a look with the other man in the room, a GIANT of a black bald man that Cathy hadn't met. " Babe, are you sure that is a good idea? Cathy is recovering from the flu and Bobby wanted her to rest today."

Steph looked Ranger in the eye and grinned. " that's why I am taking her. She had a lot to do today, and I figured it would be better if I could help her." Cathy heard the office door open again, and two of the huge, muscular, heavily armed men came into the room. Cathy thought she recognized the really large, solid one as the guy who brought her coffee last time she was here- she thought his name was Hank, or maybe Hal. Steph narrowed her eyes at Ranger. " No, the guys are not coming with us. " What? Ranger wanted armed guys to follow them? They were just going to the store. Steph broke the eye contact with Ranger and he handed her the keys. "

" Fine. No guys. But Bobby will have a fit if you don't take a panic button, just in case." Steph rolled her eyes, and took the small fob and put it into her purse. She glared at Ranger until he gave the two other guys the order to stand down.

" Do you always have to take bodyguards and panic buttons with you?" Cathy asked, momentarily distracted from her concerns to be floored by the level of security. Steph laughed. " Well, you already know that Ranger and the guys, especially Bobby, are ultra-protective. You should be used to that with Bobby by now. The car Ranger gives me to drive has a GPS tracker on it, and most of the time, I have a tracker on me. I used to think it was annoying, sometimes I still do. But it has saved me in some tight spots before so now I mostly grin and bear it."

Then she put her mouth close to Cathy's ear, blocked it with her hand so the camera wouldn't see and said, " and if you think Bobby is overprotective NOW, wait till he finds out about the baby. " They got into, holy shit, a black Porsche, and Steph buzzed out of the garage.

"Dude," Lester glanced at Bobby, who was driving the huge SUV with the skip cuffed to the floor in the back. " so, how's Cathy?," he asked, trying to pry information from his friend. Bobby seemed like he was in a better mood, but he never was a big " fuck and tell " sort.

Bobby glanced at him, and replied, ever the medic. " She finally stabilized at about 0300. Was hoping she'd rest today, but…" his eyes glanced at the phone. Lester was just about to press to see if his normally intelligent friend had finally figured out that the love of his life was pregnant…

Bobby looked at Les and narrowed his eyes behind the dark glasses. " How exactly did you manage to " run into her? Not like you hang out at the same places." Shit. What the hell? Was Les supposed to admit that he had sought her out to convince her to take Bobby back? Fuck no.

" I was trailing her, you know, to keep an eye on her until you two got your shit back together," Les lied. Les was an awesome liar and Bobby was almost as good at it, so Les made sure not to look at him while he lied. " And she was outside by her car when she fainted. I figured you'd rather take care of her than the ER." Bobby just nodded, " thanks man."

Lester waited a minute, then three… "so, did you two um, talk?" Lester doubted Bobby would be so calm if he knew about the baby.

Bobby glanced at him. " No, but I know she is going to bring up the damn therapy thing again. She isn't going to let it go." Lester grunted at that. The words " let it go" were not in any woman's frame of mind. He knew that Cathy was not going to let Bobby off the hook for therapy, especially if she knew she was pregnant.

Bobby's cell beeped, indicating he'd gotten a text. He pulled it out and sighed. Ranger was letting him know that Cathy and Steph had gone out together. What the hell? Cathy should be taking it easy, not running all over with Steph. He did NOT need the two of them ganging up on him.

Ok, so he knew he was being overprotective, but she was sick. He had fought the urge to call her at midmorning to see how she was feeling. Steph said that sometimes the guys smothered her, and he didn't want to "smother" Cathy. He didn't want to give her anything else to be upset with him about.

Cathy caught sight of a black SUV out of the corner of her eye as she unlocked the three deadbolts Bobby had put on her apartment door. Apparently, Ranger had sent the bodyguard guys to follow them after all. Stephanie seemed pissed, but part of Cathy actually felt loved and protected, and reassured. Like she wasn't alone anymore.

Before the door even opened, she heard a " meowre" and she was jumped by her hungry cat Cinder. Her dish was empty and Cathy wondered how she would be any kind of good mother if she couldn't even care for her cat. She petted Cinder while Steph got the cat's food and water dishes filled. It occurred to her that she didn't even know if Bobby liked her cat, let alone if he wanted a child.

After a few minutes, Steph handed her the small bag from CVS. " Ok, you can't put this off any longer", Steph said. "Its time to find out for sure." Cathy took the small box out of the bag and headed to the bathroom.

Cathy stared at the little round window on the plastic strip, knowing that in three minutes she would know the fate of the rest of her life. Three minutes was too long to wait. Three whole minutes. What the hell would she do with a baby? She could barely take care of herself? And then there was Bobby. They had not talked about kids. What about his therapy? Would a guy who carried three guns everywhere even want a kid? She stared down at the little window, which was just starting to fill up with color. It was too soon to see if it was a + or a – sign. An image of Bobby, a tiny baby resting on his massive biceps made her smile. He would probably make a great dad. But she would be a shitty mom. The second hand on her watch hit the 12 for the third time and she took a deep breath and looked down at the tiny window. She thought she might faint again when she saw that tiny + sign. Oh, shit, she thought. Here we go.

Bobby opened the door to her apartment, and guided her inside with a hand on the back of that silky soft green dress. She looked so gorgeous, the deep green set off her shiny auburn hair and made her eyes shimmer and sparkle. The skirt wasn't overly short, but it showed off her amazing legs, and the slight v of the neckline just barely gave a hint of the treasure it covered. It was so soft and silky, he had spent all evening just wanting to touch it- and her. They had been having dinner in a new restaurant, so he had to limit himself to letting his eyes, instead of his lips trace that v neckline down the valley between her breasts. He had spent most of the drive home just thinking about getting it off of her.

She seemed to enjoy the restaurant , except she hadn't eaten much and was unusually quiet, both of which were bad signs with women. He'd asked her twice if she was ok, and twice she had said she was "fine." Bobby was not exactly an expert on women, but even he knew that when a woman said she was " fine" it meant " I am definitely not fine, but I am going to make you figure out what the problem is instead of just telling you."

She still might not be feeling well. After all, she was pale and quiet and ate very little at the restaurant.

" I never asked you if you like my cat," she blurted out as he sat next to her on the couch.

What the fuck? Where the hell had that come from? He had barely noticed her cat.

" Sure. I like your cat fine." Bobby said, wondering what the hell was going on. He didn't want to talk about her damn cat.

She pushed him back so that his back was against the couch, and straddled his lap. Thank God the weirdness was over, and Bobby could finally get the dress off her.

He leaned his head up and kissed her softly, parting her lips under his. She kissed him back, and he was about to lose himself to her kisses, except…

" Baby, are you sure you are up to this tonight?" he pulled back from her lips and his beautiful chocolate eyes searched her face, his thumb stroking her cheek. " I mean, you are still pale and you didn't eat much for dinner. Is your stomach still upset?"

He was surprised when her lips curved into a hesitant smile. She gently pushed his torso back against the cushions, and grabbed his hand that had been on her cheek. He let her take his hand and kiss it.

" Well, actually, I am feeling a little tired, and my stomach is still a little unsettled, " she said, taking his hand and putting it on her chest. She pulled his hand down, over her breast, shivering as it grazed her nipple, then pulled his hand down to cover her abdomen. His fingers moved gently, stroking her.

" But it's ok. " She covered her hand with his and pressed gently, his spread fingers covering almost her entire abdomen. She held his hand firmly against her, and her eyes met his.

" Its because you are going to be a daddy."

Bobby felt his whole body go completely still, he might have even stopped breathing.

" What did you say?"


End file.
